GUWAHATI: The Delhi Meetei Coordinating Committee (DMCC), along with other organizations, staged a demonstration at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi on Sunday, demanding an immediate end to the ongoing violence in Manipur.
The protest was jointly organized by the Coordinating Committee on Manipur Integrity (COCOMI), Meitei Alliance, and Global Manipur Federation (GMF).
The protesters called for Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s intervention to restore peace and safeguard the state’s cultural and historical integrity.
The unrest in Manipur, which began in May 2023, has escalated in recent months with Kuki militants carrying out aerial bombings and rocket attacks. The recent attacks, which involved the use of long-range guns and drones, have resulted in civilian casualties.
The protesters criticized both the Central and state governments for their perceived inaction and accused Kuki separatists of ethnic cleansing and violence against the Meetei community.
The group highlighted international factors such as cross-border terrorism and drug trafficking as contributing to the conflict.
The group submitted a memorandum to the Prime Minister, demanding the dismantling of Kuki militant bunkers, an end to the government’s appeasement policies, and a thorough investigation into allegations of bias within the security forces.
Besides the protest in Delhi, a civil society organisation of the Meetei community organised a sit-in protest at Manipur Bhavan on Sunday in Meghalaya’s capital Shillong, condemning the recent rocket and drone attacks in Manipur by “Kuki insurgents”.
The Manipuri Elders’ Consortium Shillong (MECS) said many members of the Meetei community, including students living in Shillong, participated in the sit-in demonstration.
Protesters vehemently condemned the recent aerial attacks, carried out using drones and rockets that targeted Meetei villages in the foothills of Manipur, leading to a significant number of civilian deaths.
The Manipuri Elders Consortium Shillong (MECS) expressed concerns over the growing threat of narco-terrorism, the inflow of illegal immigrants, and propaganda campaigns against the Meetei community.
“We call on the urgent need to safeguard the indigenous communities of Manipur, with calls for immediate action to address the ongoing violence and bring immediate peace in the state,” the MECS said.
However, the Kuki civil society organizations have refuted allegations of their “defense volunteers” using weaponized drones.
Manipur Police said they are considering handing over the case to the National Investigation Agency (NIA).
The clashes between the Meetei community and the Kuki tribes, which have resulted in over 220 deaths and the displacement of nearly 50,000 people, are rooted in longstanding disputes over land, resources, and political representation.
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The general category Meeteis are seeking inclusion under the Scheduled Tribes category, which would provide them with certain benefits and protections.
Meanwhile, the Kukis, who share ethnic ties with populations in neighbouring Myanmar and Mizoram, are advocating for a separate administrative unit within Manipur, citing discrimination and an unequal distribution of resources and power compared to the Meeteis.
