ITLF calls for low-key Christmas, New Year
Source: Chronicle News Service
Imphal, December 14 2023:
The Indigenous Tribal Leaders' Forum (ITLF), a conglomerate of Kuki-Chin Zo tribes, on Wednesday called upon people of the state not to celebrate Christmas and New Year with fanfare owing to the ongoing ethnic conflict in the state.
In an advisory issued by its spokesperson Ginza Vualzong, ITLF said that due to the existing unstable situation in the state, the frontline villagers are under threat, adding, that the bodies of those killed in the ethnic clashes remain unburied, in view of which the people should refrain from indulging in overtly conspicuous celebrations and other forms of enjoyment during these hard times.
Vuazong also asked all communities and churches for muted Christmas and New Year celebrations by observing just the normal church service and not organise feasts and fellowship events like Lengkhawm.
The ITLF spokesperson asked the people to limit outdoor activities by finishing games and other sports events like Futsal by 8 pm and to close the shops and outdoor food stalls around the same time.
He also asked all the citizens to stay alert and be prepared for any disturbance during Christmas and New Year.
Christmas is notably the biggest occasion for the Kuki people as the majority of them follow Christianity.
Though no major incident has occurred in the state after December 4, when 13 people belonging to the Meetei community were killed in a Tengnoupal district village, sporadic incidents continue to be reported from some parts of the crisis-hit state.
At least 190 people have been killed in the over seven-month conflict and more than a thousand others have been left injured.
Moreover, 60,000 people have been rendered homeless.
The security forces have been keeping a tight vigil across the state to prevent any untoward incident.
Clashes between the Meetei and the Kuki Zomi communities erupted on May 3 this year after a 'Tribal Solidarity March' was organised in the hill districts to protest against the Meetei community's demand for Scheduled Tribe (ST) status.