IT News
New Delhi, May 3:
A joint protest demonstration was held today at Jantar Mantar, New Delhi, demanding that the Government of India stop dividing Manipur along ethnic lines and ensure the safe return of all internally displaced persons, including Indigenous Meeteis and Indian Kuki citizens, to their original homes and communities.
Organised under the theme “We Stand for Manipur: A Multi-Ethnic State,” the protest marked two years since the violence that broke out in Manipur on May 3, 2023. The demonstration was spearheaded by the Delhi Meetei Co-ordinating Committee (DMCC), Manipur Students’ Association Delhi (MSAD), Manipur Innovative Youth Organisation Delhi (MAOYOND), United Kakching Students (UNIKAS), and supported by Meitei Alliance.
Participants raised strong concerns over what they described as a systematic effort to segregate the state of Manipur along ethnic lines. The protestors accused the Government of India of failing to safeguard the rights of Indigenous communities and of supporting policies that have deepened the divide rather than restoring harmony.
The key demands put forward at the protest were immediate end to the ethnic division of Manipur, safe and unconditional return of all internally displaced persons to their original homes, termination of the Suspension of Operation (SoO) agreement with Kuki militants, neutralisation of cross-border terrorism and armed insurgency, dismantling of buffer zones that restrict the movement of citizens and institutionalise ethnic segregation.
Speakers at the protest included Angomcha Bimol Akoijam, Member of Parliament; Rinku Khumukcham, Editor of Imphal Times; Sharon Lowen, classical dancer; Agnotos Theos, author and activist; Dr. Seram Rojesh, Convenor of DMCC; Dr. Naorem BoBo, spokesperson of DMCC; Mr. Somenanda Khangchrakpam, President of MSAD; Yengkhom Gunchenba from MAOYOND; and Heramani from the DMCC Youth Wing.
The protestors alleged that the violence of May 3, 2023, was politically motivated and targeted against the Indigenous Meetei community.