Imphal, July 05: Over ten thousand women including school girls from various communities today braved the hot July sun and took to the streets from Khonghampat to Kanglatongbi, pledging to preserve the age-old bond of oneness between the people of the hill and plain.

The rally which culminated into a huge public meeting at Kanglatongbi also pledged not to allow the Centre-NSCN (IM) cease-fire to extend into the territories of Manipur.

Apart from the dominant Nepali community in the area, Thadou and Meitei women made their presence felt by turning out in large numbers.

The meeting held after the silent peace rally was chaired by Kanglatongbi village headman, WK Mazangbou Rengmei.

AMUCO advisor Th Iboyaima who was invited to the meeting graced the occasion.

At the outset of the meeting, the women folk numbering over 10,000 observed a one minute silence as a mark of respect to the 14 persons who laid down their lives during the June 18 uprising to safeguard the territorial integrity of the state.

School girls belonging to various communities took part in the rally in their school uniforms.

Ten local clubs of Gurkha, Thadou and Meitei communities supported and took active part in the rally and meeting while members of 24 women organizations participated in the rally.

In a mass rally protesting ,against the ceasefire extension to Manipur, nearly ten thousand womenfolk belonging to various communities including Kom, Waiphei, Chiru, Thadou, Hmar, and Liangmei areas marched in the Singda area today.

The mass rally was organized by a body called the Kangchup Area Hills and Valley United Clubs.

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