A human chain prayer in Manipur’s Kangpokpi district mourned the loss of precious lives from both the communities in the strife-torn Manipur state even if two firing incidents were reported yesterday at midnight in Kangpokpi district.
While the Kuki Nampi Taona, the apex body of the Kuki’s prayer cell prepared to organize a lengthy human chain prayer in a 40 Km. stretch approximately along the National Highway-2 passing through Kangpokpi district, miscreants suspected to be Meitei terrorists attacked Hengjang village near Leimakhong in Kangpokpi District at around midnight yesterday.
The indiscriminate firing using sophisticated weapons reportedly lasted for about half an hour wounding an army jawan.
Then, a few minutes later, Phaileng village in a sensitive peripheral area of Kangpokpi district near Sekmai was also reportedly attacked with sophisticated weapons for a few minutes with no report of any casualties.
Amidst the violence at night, thousands of people mostly women, in the morning, were seen braving the rain, some standing, some sitting, and some kneeling on the wet ground from Taphou Kuki village, the bordering village of Kangpokpi district with Senapati District to Gamgiphai village, the bordering village of Kangpokpi district with Imphal West, passionately prayer and also mourning the deaths of both the communities in the current Manipur crisis.
The prayer goers were also seen putting up the Gospel words along the roadside as they prayed for the divine intervention for justice and peace.
They also prayed for Prime Minister Narendra Modi to break his silence in the form of invoking Article 365 (President Rule) in the state of Manipur to find a solution and bring justice to the problems.
The Kuki Nampi Taona leaders were seen putting up a giant cross at the border gate of Kangpokpi at Gamgiphai village, symbolizing protection from God.
Rev. S.T. Onmang Haokip, Advisor KNT as he declared open the human chain prayer said that the Kuki community has been praying unceasingly for the people of Manipur since the eruption of violence in the state.
“God will answer our prayer for the peace of our land”, asserted the KNT advisor.
Nunnem Kipgen, a member of the KNT at Saparmeina said that in solidarity with the people from both communities who have lost their lives in the violence, we are also here condoling their death and prayed passionately for their souls to rest in peace.
She believed that God can only heal and bring peace to the communities and the state of Manipur through the intervention of the Central Government with divine presence.
She also said that the Central Government intervention is now our only hope while opining that invoking Article 365 (President Rule) in the state of Manipur could help in finding the solution to the present Manipur crisis.
Another member of the KNT, Tracy Kipgen said that it is the culmination day of the KNT’s five-day fasting prayer across the district at various Churches.
She also said that today is also considered a mourning day as we have lost many of our dear husbands, sons, and brothers while defending and protecting our land and people and similarly the other community also lost many of their people.
“We are mourning and condoling the deaths from both the communities and also prayed for their souls to rest in peace”, she added.
However, Tracy Kipgen, while conveying her disappointment upon the state Government, said that it is very sad for the Kuki community that Chief Minister N. Biren Singh had declared war against the Kuki community terming us as ‘Poppy planters, illegal immigrants, Narco Terrorists”, etc. which is why the state machinery and the people began to fight with us.
She also said that our dear husbands, sons, and brothers who are braving the scorching heat and heavy rain to defend us and our land are now labeled as militant, which is most unfortunate.
She further said that people living in the stretch of this land where the human chain prayer is organized today have been threatened by the Meitei Leepun’s chief to wipe us out, so, we are also praying to our God, and we firmly believe that our God will protect us and our land.
“Every land belongs to the creator, the almighty God, and he let us shelter in this stretch, and we will continue to inhabit the land till the day of the Lord”, asserted Tracy.
She also said that even after the significant visit of Union Home Minister Amit Shah to the strife-torn Manipur state and after almost 50 days of violence, Prime Minister Narendra Modi failed to utter a single word.
“The silence of the Prime Minister, our hope for justice and solution, hurts and pains us so much”, asserted Tracy while adding that the Prime Minister must speak now.
