Imphal, February 11: The Kuki Students Organisation General Headquarters (KSO-Ghq) has put its weight behind the February 13 Manipur hill districts 24-hour chakka bandh called by the relief and rehabilitation body of the victims of ethnic clashes of the nineties in Manipur hills.

Endorsing the move of the Communal Victims Relief and Resettlement Association Manipur (CVR-RAM) in calling hill districts off-the-wheel bandh on February 13 protesting against the government's dilly-dallying tactics in releasing the already sanctioned funds meant for the people affected in the ethnic clashes, the Kuki Students' Organization, General Headquarters has on Monday asked the government to resolve the issue at the earliest date in "the best interest of the both government and the ethnic clash victims".

The 24-hour Manipur hill districts chakka bandh begins from the midnight of February 12 .

Conveying the KSO (GHQ) decision to support the bandh called by CVRRAM in Manipur hills, its information and publicity secretary Paotinthang Lupheng posed as to why "the government is holding back the fund in spite of repeated requests made by the CVRRAM at the behest of the ethnic clash victims".

Paotinthang also said that the indifferent attitude shown by the government towards the plight of the ethnic clashes victims is practically amounts to the violation of human rights.

The Central government had already sanctioned the fund amounting to Rs 8.8 crores to the state government as relief for the 8800 displaced families, according to the KSO.

It also alleged that so far the state government had given no adequate rehabilitation to the victims from its end, which according to the students' body is very regretful.

It charged that, holding back the fund meant for the impoverished victims whose houses were razed to the ground is unbecoming of a Government whose duty is to ensure the well-being of its citizens.

While stating that shelving funds meant for victims will only bring distrust and will lead to the loss of confidence in the government by the public, the KSO (GHQ) said that it is in the best interest of the government to come clean if it does not want invite any public outburst.

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