Mizoram Provides Security To Meiteis After 'Leave State' Call By Ex Rebels

AIZAWL: In the wake of former Mizoram insurgents making a public call to people from the Meitei community to leave the state, the government of Mizoram has ensured that security cover is provided to people from the Meitei community living in the capital Aizawl.

Peace Accord MNF Returnees' Association (PAMRA) issued a statement from Aizawl on Friday which asked Meiteis to leave Mizoram for their "own safety” because of "anger among Mizo youth" at the incident of two women being paraded naked in Manipur, the neighbouring state torn by ethnic strife.

PAMRA said that sentiments of Mizo have been severely hurt by the atrocity committed on the Zo-ethnic community in Manipur. The organization also added a warning that if any violence should be meted out to Meiteis in Mizoram, they shall have themselves to blame.

"The situation in Mizoram has become tense, and it is no longer safe for Meitei people from Manipur to live in Mizoram in the wake of barbaric and heinous acts committed by miscreants in Manipur...The PAMRA appeals to all Meitei people in Mizoram to leave for their home state as a safety measure," the statement read.

Mizoram government sources informed that measures have already been adopted to ensure that no harm befalls any Meitei person.

Chief Minister Zoramthanga had earlier held a telephonic conversation with his Manipur counterpart N Biren Singh to assure him of the safety of Meiteis living in Mizoram.

Following this development, the Manipur government again held a round of discussions with the Mizoram govt and the Centre, sources said.

The situation has arisen after a video taken on May 4 surfaced on Wednesday, which showed two women from one of the communities on the warpath in Manipur being paraded naked on a road and molested by a mob belonging to the other faction.

The alleged prime accused person named Huirem Herodas Meitei was arrested on Thursday and four more miscreants held on Friday.

The incident shown on the video, which went viral, has drawn widespread condemnation across the country and beyond it.

The statement by the former rebels spoke of anger among Mizo youths, who have been appalled over the "barbaric and atrocious” act of Meiteis against the ethnic people of the Zo or Kuki community in Manipur. The community shares ancestry with the Mizos.

They further clarified that the appeal was meant only for Meiteis from Manipur and not for those from elsewhere.

Meiteis numbering in thousands, including students hailing mostly from Manipur and Assam, live in Mizoram.

Moreover, more than 12,000 Kukis displaced from Manipur are also reportedly taking shelter in the northeastern state, which is dominated by Christians. Kukis also mostly comprise Christians.

It should be noted that PAMRA is an apolitical body made up of former Mizo National Front (MNF) militants who want all clauses of the Mizo Peace Accord to be implemented.

Significantly, Meiteis comprise about 53 per cent of the population of Manipur and live mostly in the Imphal Valley, while the tribals, including Nagas and Kukis, comprise of around 40 per cent and reside mostly in the hill districts.

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