Candlelight vigil by Kuki women in Delhi for those killed in Manipur violence

Women from Manipur's Kuki community staged a candlelight vigil here on Saturday to pay tribute to those who lost their lives

New Delhi: A group of women from Manipur’s Kuki community staged a candlelight vigil here on Saturday to pay tribute to those who lost their lives in Manipur violence.

Scores of women from the Kuki community gathered at Jantar Mantar with candles.

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In a memorandum addressed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, they have sought his intervention to bring back normalcy in the state.

The demands include immediate imposition of President’s rule in Manipur, permanent solution through separate administration, more deployment of central forces and neutral officers at conflict zones, security at mortuary and hospitals.

It also includes provision of security, food and medical aid.

“Since May 3, there’s unrest in Manipur. It’s been more than a month. In spite of Home Minister Amit Shah’s visit to the state and his appeal to maintain normalcy, violence is still continuing. A mother and her son were burnt alive a few days ago. We don’t know whom to trust now,” one of the members of Kuki Women’s Forum told PTI.

“Our appeal to the Prime Minister and the Home Minister is to ensure the situation doesn’t escalate further,” she added.

Clashes broke out in Manipur after a ‘Tribal Solidarity March’ was organised in the hill districts on May 3 to protest against the Meitei community’s demand for Scheduled Tribe (ST) status.

The violence was preceded by tension over the eviction of Kuki villagers from reserve forest land, which had led to a series of smaller agitations.

Meiteis account for about 53 per cent of Manipur’s population and live mostly in the Imphal Valley. Tribals — Nagas and Kukis — constitute another 40 per cent of the population and reside in the hill districts.

The ethnic clashes claimed more than 100 lives and some 10,000 army and para-military personnel had to be deployed as part of the efforts to bring back normalcy in the northeastern state.