Members of the Joint Unau Tribal Forum, Hyderabad, demanded immediate imposition of President’s rule in Manipur in the context of rampant violence against the ethnic Kuki-Zo tribal group.
Besides taking over law and order in the hilly state, the Centre should dismiss the government of Manipur which has failed to control violence for the past month, demanded members of the forum during a protest demonstration held at Dharna Chowk near Indira Park on Saturday.
About 500 members of the forum, representing the Kuki, Zomi, Mizo and Chin tribal groups, staged a sit-in wearing traditional attire and holding placards against the violence.
A statement issued by the forum said it is deeply disturbed by the state of affairs in Manipur, an important border State. Recalling the spate of violence over the month which did not spare even high-ranking government officials and elected Kuki-Zo representatives, the forum said what had started as ethnic cleansing in Imphal, is transforming into an open civil war, with complicity of the State government.
Demonstrators at Dharna Chowk in Hyderabad on Saturday protesting the violence against Kuki-Zo tribe in Manipur. | Photo Credit: NAGARA GOPAL
Expressing solidarity with the Kuki-Zo tribe, the group also demanded that the Supreme Court directly monitor the three-member Commission’s inquiry instituted by the Home Ministry, so that accountability is fixed from the top, and justice is delivered.
Immediate prosecution under UAPA, and a ban on the militant armed outfits such as Meitei Leepun and Arambai Tenggol, besides time-bound and transparent relief and rehabilitation measures, were listed among the demands.
A time-bound dialogue must be expeditiously initiated to consider and accommodate the popularly supported demand of the 10 Kuki-Zo members of the Manipur Legislative Assembly for a separate administration, as the violence has resulted in complete physical and emotional separation between the Kuki-Zo and Meitei groups, the statement said.
