Protect people instead of relocating them: Dr Bimol
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, June 08 2024: In the wake of the fresh violence that has besieged Jiribam district, MP elect Dr Angomcha Bimol Akoijam has drawn a parallel between the ongoing Mani-pur conflict and the partition of India and Pakistan during independence.

Just like Muslims were encouraged and forced to migrate to Pakistan, and Hindus to India during partition, people of different communities in Manipur are being forced to move out of areas where they are minorities.

This must stop at once, he said, speaking to reporters at his residence at Keishamthong Top Leirak.

For the tension to subside and the conflict to end, strict security measures must be taken up to facilitate the return of people of both communities to their original homes, he said.

Protect people instead of relocating them: Dr Bimol

People who are a minority in a place should not be moved and relocated to safer places.

Instead, they must be given adequate security for their safety and protection, Dr Bimol said, as he urged the Government to contain the tense situation in Jiribam before it deteriorates further.

The fresh violence in Jiribam district came as soon as the results of Lok Sabha elections were out.

This is not a good sign.

This indicates that there are forces at work who want to prolong the conflict and blow it up even more, Dr Bimol said.

People should be wary of those who want to intensify and prolong the conflict.

Those who want to break Manipur are destroying the conditions for peaceful coexistence of the commu- nities.

They are pitching one community against the other with the aim to break Mani-pur apart.

People must unite and face such forces as one, Dr Bimol said.

He also urged people on social media to exercise caution and refrain from posting and sharing wrongful information that may fan the tension and hurt others.

There must be rule of law in Manipur, and for this, the State and Central security forces must discharge their duties as per law and protect the lives and properties of the people.

When people should have faith in the State authorities, the authorities must take every effort to effectively secure and safeguard the lives and properties of the people, he said.

Notably, the violence that has now besieged Jiribam was triggered by an incident where a Meitei man was "murdered" by suspected militants.

Even though the ongoing violent conflict broke out on May 3, 2023, notably, Jiribam had been relatively peaceful without any major incident.

Situated on the border with Assam, the district has mixed communities.

While a chunk of the people in the district are Meiteis/Meeteis, there are many Kuki villages in the district and along Imphal-Jiribam Highway.

As tension gripped the district, nearly a hundred houses have been burnt by Kuki militants, and over 200 Meitei residents have fled for their lives and are taking shelter in relief camps, said sources.

The conflict in Manipur has killed over 200 people and displaced more than 60,000 people.

Entire Meitei population has been forced out of several districts including Churachandpur, Tengnoupal (Moreh) and Kangpokpi.

The fresh violence at Jiribam is being seen as another attempt by Kuki militants to "cleanse" the district of Meiteis/Meeteis.