Students of Bethel English School, Nambol, staged a “Maheiroishinggi Wakat-Meepham” (Students’ Sit-In Protest) on Wednesday condemning a series of recent violent incidents in Manipur, including the killing of two children in a bomb blast at Tronglaobi, the shooting dead of three civilians by Indian security forces at Khongjanglok, the ambush killing of two Tangkhul individuals at TM Kasom Khullen, and the continuing violence in Kamjong district allegedly carried out by militants backed by India.
The students demanded punishment for the security personnel involved in the incidents and called for the withdrawal of Indian security forces from Manipur, alleging that they had failed to protect the lives and properties of civilians. They also urged the authorities to ensure justice for all victims of the ongoing violence.
The protest was held amid the prolonged ethnic conflict and unrest that has continued in Manipur for nearly three years. The students stated that the worsening situation across different parts of the state had compelled them to join the movement to safeguard the land and the people. They said student communities from various educational institutions across Manipur had begun organizing similar protests in a phased manner from the beginning of May.
Describing the agitation as a democratic movement, the protesting students announced that similar demonstrations would continue in different parts of the state in the coming days.
During the protest, students displayed placards and raised slogans such as “We Must Protect Our Land Ourselves,” “We Want to Live in Peace,” “Stop State Terrorism,” “Stop Killing Innocent Civilians Through Proxy War,” and “Build a Strong System So That We Can Defend Our Own Government.”
The students further appealed to the people of Manipur to take note of the collective resolutions being adopted by the student community. They warned that if democratic protests and repeated appeals continued to be ignored while civilians remained subjected to killings, destruction, torture and suppression, the students of Manipur would intensify their movement to defend the land and its people.