Manipur Chief Minster Biren seeks Zoramthanga’s help to douse Manipur flames

GUWAHATI: Beleaguered Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh called up his Mizoram counterpart Zoramthanga on Sunday and sought his help to douse the flames of ethnic violence between Meiteis and Kukis.

Zoramthanga is a Mizo and Mizos and Kukis share the same ancestry, culture and tradition. Thousands of displaced Kukis of Manipur are taking shelter in Mizoram. Zoramthanga broke the news about Singh seeking his help.

“The Chief Minister of Manipur spoke to me over the phone at 12:30 PM; regarding the #Manipur ongoing violence asking for my aid in resolving the issue with a hope that henceforth there would be a peaceful co-existence,” the Mizoram CM tweeted.

He further wrote that Singh sought his help also to ensure that the Meiteis living in Mizoram are safe.

Zoramthanga apprised Singh that the Mizoram government has already taken certain steps and measures to abate the Manipur violence.

He said the people of Mizoram are empathetic towards the Meiteis and the state government and NGOs took measures for peace and security. He said the Meiteis living in Mizoram have nothing to fear.

“We shall go on to promote safety and security for them,” Zoramthanga assured.

No incident of violence was reported from any part of Manipur on Sunday even as the Central and state forces continued with conducting joint marches.

Protestors, including women, in Imphal vented their ire against Prime Minister Narendra Modi. They congregated at a marketplace and destroyed a radio during a symbolic protest against “Mann Ki Baat”. “We don’t want to listen to Mann Ki Baat,” they shouted.

In the Imphal Valley on Saturday night, hundreds of women holding fire torches took part in a protest against the violence. They demanded the implementation of the National Register of Citizens in the state and the abrogation of a “suspension of operation” agreement that the government had signed with some Kuki insurgent groups.

Meanwhile, the Indigenous Tribal Leaders’ Forum said 44 days elapsed since the violence erupted but Modi had not made any comment on the crisis.

“Law and order have completely collapsed in Manipur and yet, President’s Rule is not imposed in the state,” the forum said.

It requested the Manipur CM and Union home minister Amit Shah to address the “ethnic cleansing faced by the indigenous Kuki-Zo tribes”.

Over 100 people have lost their lives in the ethnic clashes which broke out on May 3 after a “Tribal Solidarity March” which was organised by a tribal students’ body to oppose the move for the inclusion of Meiteis – the state’s largest community – in the Scheduled Tribes list.