Expressing its serious concern and anxiety about the looming humanitarian crisis in Manipur, the North-Eastern Hill University Teachers’ Association (NEHUTA) has appealed for strict restraint to violence from all sides in Manipur.
NEHUTA also urged upon the central government to initiate emergency measures for ensuring peace and harmony in order to revive the due Constitutional and institutional processes as mandated in and by India’s democratic ethos.
In a press statement issued on Thursday, NEHU Teachers’ association stated that it is its bounden duty to spread the message of peace and reconciliation and to stand with victims and appealed to fraternity of teachers and other members of NEHU family to join the association in a Peace March on July 14 to shout out for peace and pray for well-being, relief, rehabilitation and justice for all victims.
NEHUTA stated that the rally would be held in order to show that the association can act as a force multiplier for peace and justice in Manipur in the interest of northeast India and for the country as a whole. “Peace march will start at 3 PM from Central Library and takes a full round of the campus to reassemble near Central Library,” NEHUTA said.
NEHUTA also stated that seemingly no immediate end of strife, loss of life and internal displacement of thousands after losing their home, family members and well- being just in the last two months, which made the association think in horror what is in stock for the future.
“Repeated incidents of armed violence between communities need to be brought to an immediate end by least possible force and by effective and impactful political means, for which the Central Government must evolve ways and means of peace building, reconciliation and restoration of trust and confidence at the level of individuals, ethnic communities and territories within the state of Manipur,” it said.
NEHUTA stated that relief must reach to shelters of victims and shortage of medicine, oxygen, blood samples and other such lifesaving materials need to be immediately supplied in surplus to save lives and also to ensure best medical care in these troubled times.
Other infrastructural necessities like power and drinking water also be made available to all sides, NEHUTA stated while adding that such works of welfare for maintenance of peace and harmony shall strengthen government’s efforts to not allow complete breakdown of social fabric in Manipur.
NEHUTA further stated that it implored both Kuki-Zo-Chin group of people and Meitei people to redevelop a sense of love, trust and fellow feeling as humanity can never be shelved even in the toughest of crises.
NEHUTA added that it shall endeavour to build bridges with all the affected sides and especially for victims to make their voices and concerns heard mandatorily by elected representatives.
The association shall strive hard to aid and assist processes of dialogue and discussion with all the expertise and intellectual resources at its command and shall impress upon the State to not falter in discharging its supreme duty of protecting fundamental rights like right to life and livelihood and above all to restore the right to dignity of victims at all costs, the statement added.
“The NEHUTA believes that its resolute voice for peace and development shall join the chorus for the same from all well-meaning parties so that the moral pressure to stop all forms of violence and discrimination be achieved without any further delay,” it said.
