Kuki-Zo women's midnight protest in Kangpokpi ends in thanking the Centre

The vehement Kuki-Zo women's protest from midnight till morning over a plan to withdraw the Assam Rifles from the buffer zones in Kangpokpi ended in thanking the Centre for holding back the plan of withdrawing the paramilitary forces.

The Kuki-Zo women in Kangpokpi town made late-night publicity across all localities in the town through PA systems while some others smashed the electric poles to wake up all the sleeping mothers at midnight calling them to come out on the street to show resentment of the plan to withdraw the Assam Rifles from the buffer zones in Kangpokpi district.

In no time, hundreds of womenfolks including men gathered along the National Highway - 2 to protest the plan to withdraw the Assam Rifles from the buffer zones.

During the midnight protest, the Kuki-Zo womenfolk chanted, "Assam Rifles Don't Leave Us", "Assam Rifles We Need You", "Assam Rifles Zindabad", etc.

The Kuki-Zo women were also seen falling on the feet of the Commanding Officer of the 22 Assam Rifles, weeping, crying, and pleading not to leave them.

The womenfolk even marched toward the 22 Assam Rifles Kangpokpi Post near the Inspection Bungalow where they sit and sleep the whole night on the road while the other group of women stayed the whole night along the National Highway-2.

The Assam Rifles personnel reportedly were planned to withdraw from the buffer zones at around 6:00 am which actually did not happen after the Union Home Ministry held back the plan to withdraw.

After learning the Centre's decision to hold back decision to withdraw the Assam Rifles, the Kuki-Zo women's protest ended in a thanking note as they expressed sincere gratitude to the Centre after it held back the withdrawal plan.

One of the protestors said that the presence of the Assam Rifles in the buffer zones not only receded the nonstop violence in the peripheral areas but also provided peace of mind and security.

Vehemently decrying the alleged "inappropriate timing" of withdrawing the AR personnel from the buffer zones, the discontented woman said that such an ill-timed decision once again opened up the gate of violence as it has been proven within 24 hours following the fresh attack on the Kuki-Zo village L. Tangnaum in the Kangchup area this early morning.

She then thanked the Union Home Ministry for withholding the plan to withdraw the Assam Rifles while pleading never to take such a decision again in future until the situation has been normalized.

Meanwhile, CoTU's 12-Hour total shutdown in Kangpokpi district culminated without any report of untoward incidents.

CoTU had imposed the total shutdown to mark the 90 days of violence in Manipur while commemorating the Kuki-Zo martyrs in the ongoing violence.

It was also to show their discontentment over the non-withdrawal of state security forces including police commandos from Moreh and the fresh arsoning of Kuki-Zo houses in Imphal.