Manipuri activists burn effigies of Mizoram Chief Minister in Imphal

A large number of people, mostly youths, accompanied by some sports persons, burnt the effigies of Zoramthanga

Imphal: The ethnic violence in Manipur has now triggered an ugly row between Manipur and Mizoram with a large number of activists here on Friday burning effigies of Mizoram Chief Minister Zoramthanga and chanting slogans against him.

A large number of people, mostly youths, accompanied by some sports persons, burnt the effigies of Zoramthanga, who is also the Mizo National Front (MNF) supremo. The activists, aiming at Mizos, shouted slogans like: “Zoramthanga is your hero, Biren Singh (Chief Minister N. Biren Singh) is our hero. Zoramthanga is your god-father, Biren Singh is also our god-father. We want peace, long live Manipur”, “God will punish you Zoramthanga for your evil deeds. Do not try to break Manipur, we want the integrity of Manipur, we love people of Manipur”. An activist said that the protests were prompted by the Mizoram Chief Minister, his council of ministers and MNF MLAs on Tuesday participating in the protest rallies, organised by the NGO Coordination Committee, a conglomerate of five major civil society organisations, including the Central Young Mizo Association (CYMA) to express solidarity with the Kuki-Zo ethnic community in Manipur.

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Days before Tuesday’s protest rallies, the Peace Accord MNF Returnees’ Association (PAMRA), referring to the viral video of two women being stripped and paraded by a mob in Manipur on May 4, issued an advisory for the non-tribal Meitei people living in Mizoram.

Around 700 people belonging to the Meitei community have so far left Mizoram out of fear after the issuance of the “advisory” and subsequent protest rallies.