Denouncing the terrorist tag given to every Kuki village volunteers by the Meiteis and continuing the demand for separate administration, the women folks from different villages of Lamka (Churahchandpur) came together and staged a sit-in-protest at the ‘Wall of Remembrance’, Tuibuong, Churachandpur on Thursday.
The women were seen holding placards such as: “I am a humble tribal, I am not a terrorist, Dont call my brother a terrorist, Stop labelling my son as a terrorist, My father is not a terrorist, The real terrorists are Arambai Tenggol and Meitei Leepun, We are Indian citizens, not terrorists or successionist, Indian Armies can’t be fooled by CM Biren and his communal politicians,” etc., among others.
Survivors of the alleged ethnic cleansing from different parts of the State also joined the protest and a few of them shared their horrific stories of their survival from the clutch of the chauvinists Meitei militias.
A few women who address the public, highlighted the importance of fighting any enemies unitedly with one hope and aspiration and to leave aside any minor differences, if any, between the Kuki-Zo communities.
Demanding total separation from the Meiteis’ Manipur, the protestors reaffirmed that they would not rest until their demands are fulfilled and that they would fight tooth and nail for sake of their ancestral land and its people.
The ethnic violence in the state has reached more than two months with escalated tension in the peripheral areas adjoining where the land between the Meiteis and Kukis meet. In the alleged ethnic pogrom which began on May 3, more than 113 individuals from the Kuki-Zo community lost their lives and 197 villages burnt down. More than 7000 houses and 359 Churches including Quarters were burnt to ashes and about 41450 persons internally displaced elsewhere.
