IT News
Imphal, May 2:
The Indigenous Tribal Leaders’ Forum (ITLF) in Churachandpur and the Kuki Inpi Manipur (KIM), apex body of Kuki tribes in the State, are commemorating May 3, one year anniversary of the ongoing violence between Kuki and Meiteis.
The ITLF Churachandpur has issued a public appeal on Wednesday calling for a district-wide shutdown on May 3. The ITLF Committee, which issued the appeal, stated, “As part of this solemn occasion, we urge all members of the Kuki-Zo community to hoist a black flag on every household as a mark of remembrance and solidarity. Additionally, all business establishments, institutions, and markets are requested to remain closed on this day as a sign of respect and homage to our fallen heroes.”
“Let us come together as one community to reflect on our journey, reaffirm our oneness, and strengthen our resolve towards a brighter future for the Kuki-Zo people,” it added.
Leaders of Kuki-Zo civil society organizations in Kangpokpi district also informed The Hindu that a similar shutdown might be observed across the district on Friday. Janghoulun Haokip, of the KIM in Kangpokpi, said, “There will be an event to honor our fallen at the Martyrs’ Cemetery in Phaijang, and later in the evening, we will be lighting candles for them as well.”
In Churachandpur too, the ITLF has planned a remembrance event to be held at the “Wall of Remembrance” near the DC Office in the district, where prayer sessions will be held and speeches will be delivered on the one year since the beginning of the conflict.
The KIM has also passed a resolution to mark May 3 as the “Kuki-Zo Awakening Day”. “It will be remembered as a day of great awakening for the Kuki-Zo people from the ruins of the systemic persecution and oppression of our people under the Manipur State Government towards revolutionary transformation of our land and our society,” the KIM in Churachandpur had stated in a public appeal issued last week.
