Khwairamband Ima Keithel, the iconic women-run market of Manipur, came to a standstill today as women vendors staged a sit-in protest demanding the unconditional release of arrested members of Arambai Tengol within 10 days.
The protest, held at the historic market in the heart of Imphal, reflected growing public anger over the recent arrests carried out by the National Investigation Agency (NIA). Business activities across the market were largely suspended as vendors joined the demonstration and voiced strong opposition to the arrests.
Holding placards with slogans such as “How can people trust future appeals if today’s promises are ignored?”, “Peace needs trust. Trust needs honour. Honour your words. Honour the people,” and “Where is your promise?”, the protesters accused the government of going back on assurances given during the arms surrender process.
The demonstrators contended that many individuals had surrendered weapons after the authorities appealed for the return of illegal arms and reportedly assured that no punitive action would follow. According to the protesters, the subsequent arrests have raised serious questions about the credibility of those assurances and could undermine public trust in future peace initiatives.
Speaking at the protest, L. Mema Devi described the arrests as unfortunate and demanded the immediate and unconditional release of those detained. She also urged the authorities to refrain from taking further action against village volunteers and members of Arambai Tengol.
Mema Devi alleged that many local volunteers and Arambai Tengol members had stepped forward during a period when people felt vulnerable amid the ongoing crisis. She claimed that the inability of the authorities to adequately safeguard lives and property had compelled civilians to organise themselves for protection.
Warning of intensified agitation, she stated that the valley had been gradually returning to normalcy and that the arrests risked disrupting the fragile peace. She cautioned that stronger forms of protest could be launched if the detained individuals were not released within the 10-day period set by the demonstrators.
The protest adds to the growing wave of public demonstrations witnessed across the valley since the arrests, with various groups expressing concern over the implications of the action and calling for the release of those detained.
