Call to protect integrity of Manipur, cancel SoO raised at various places
Source: The Sangai Express

Bpr/Imp/Thb, May 24 2023: The demand for immediate abrogation of the Suspension of Operation (SoO) with Kuki militant groups is ever growing with more and more people coming out in support of the demand.

National Alliance Youth Entrepreneur (NAYE) Club and Hijam Khunou Ema Lup Meira Paibi today jointly staged a sit-in protest demanding withdrawal of the SoO pact and protection of State's integrity at Hijam Khunou.

Pechi Youth Development Club (PYDC) and Nupi Marup Association (Meira Paibi) also staged a similar protest at Yairipok Pechi.

Similarly, sit-in protests were staged at Wangkhem Keithel and Thoibi Awoon Keithel, Moirang yesterday as part of Coordinating Committee on Manipur Integrity's (COCOMI) extensive democratic protest launched on May 15 .

Call to protect integrity of Manipur, cancel SoO raised at various places

At Wangkhem Keithel, the protest was organised by the Women Development Committee Heirok under the supervision of COCOMI.

Speaking on the sideline of the protest, Lairellakpam Birmala Devi, secretary Wangkhem Meira Paibi strongly asserted that the integrity of Manipur must be protected at all costs.

Alleging Kuki militants under SoO of inflicting atrocities on the Meitei populace, she added that the people just want to live in peace.

Without the intervention of the Central and State Governments, peace cannot be restored in Manipur.

As such, the Central Government must take up concrete actions to resolve the volatile situation, she added.

Separately, the protest at Moirang was organised by Moirang CSOs, vendors of Moirang Keithel, shopkeepers and citizens of Moirang.

During the protest, an unnamed female protestor maintained that it is time to teach the Central and State Government a lesson in view of their lack of effort to restore the lives of displaced families.

She also called upon prominent female activists to lead the way and unite the people.

Accusing the Indian paramilitary forces of gross negligence, she urged the people to drive these forces out of the State claiming that Kuki militants are not restrained even in their presence.

Y Surjit, a representative of COCOMI stated that incidents of violence have not stopped in the State since the communal flare up of May 3 .

Violence inflicted by Kuki militants continues to occur in various areas of the State including the region where it first erupted, Torbung and its surrounding villages, he said.

He added that despite the presence of the Indian Army, attacks on innocent villagers by Kuki militants, torching of houses and abduction continue to occur.

Y Surjit also lauded the effort of "older" Kuki Chin people who helped in retrieving a Meitei man (with the help of other Muslim brethren) who was abducted at Kwakta Maning.

He also questioned the inadequate deployment of security forces in the Torbung area.

He added that these forces stop Meiteis from entering the area saying it is dangerous and vulnerable but the same treatment is not meted out to Kuki militants.

Thus, he called for withdrawal of the SoO pact and urged the people to collectively put a stop to the "biased" attitude of the Indian Army.

At the sit-ins, the protestors displayed placards and banners with the slogans such as, "Save Manipur's Integrity", "Wake up Manipur Government", "Cancel SoO with Kuki militant groups", "GoI should control Kuki SoO militants", "Implement NRC in Manipur", "Stop influx of illegal immigrants", "No political rights to illegal immigrants", "Down with narcoterrorism", "No separate administration at any cost", etc.