Kuki women protest AR pull-out plan
Source: Chronicle News Service
Kangpokpi, August 03 2023:
The Kuki-Zo women's protest since Wednesday midnight till Thursday morning over planned withdrawal of Assam Rifles from the buffer zones in Kangpokpi ended in thanking the Centre for holding back the move.
The Kuki-Zo women in Kangpokpi town made late-night publicity across all localities through PA systems while some others clanked the electric poles to wake up the 'mothers' at midnight to show resentment at the plan to withdraw the Assam Rifles from the buffer zones.
In no time, hundreds of womenfolk as well as men gathered along the National Highway-2 to protest the AR withdrawal plan.
During the midnight protest, the Kuki-Zo womenfolk chanted, "Assam Rifles Don't Leave Us", "Assam Rifles We Need You", "Assam Rifles Zindabad", etc.
The Kuki-Zo women were also seen falling at the feet of the Commanding Officer of the 22 Assam Rifles, weeping, crying, and pleading not to leave them.
The womenfolk even marched toward the 22 Assam Rifles Kangpokpi post near the Inspection Bungalow where they sat and slept the whole night on the road while the other group of women stayed the whole night along the National Highway-2 .
The Assam Rifles personnel reportedly were to withdraw from the buffer zones around 6:00 am which, however, did not happened after the Union Home Ministry kept the plan in abeyance.
After learning the Centre s decision, the Kuki-Zo women's protest ended in expressing sincere gratitude to the centre.
One of the protestors said that the presence of the Assam Rifles in the buffer zones not only halted the nonstop violence in the peripheral areas but also provided peace of mind and security.
She then thanked the Union Home Ministry for withholding the plan to withdraw the Assam-Rifles while pleading never to take such a decision again in future until the situation has been normalised.
Meanwhile, COTU's 12-hour total shutdown in Kangpokpi district culminated without any report of unwanted incidents.
CoTU had imposed the total shutdown to mark the 90 days of violence in Manipur while condoling the loss of Kuki-Zo martyrs in the ongoing violence.
It was also to show discontentment over non-withdrawal of state forces including police commandos from Moreh and the fresh act of arson of Kuki-Zo houses in Imphal.