Mizoram government orders ‘enhanced security’ for Meiteis in Aizawl

NEW DELHI: In view of the deteriorating law-and-order situation in Manipur, where Zo and Kuki communities, who share ethnic ties with Mizos, have been targeted, the Mizoram government has ordered enhanced security for the Meitei population.

"In anticipation of a possible development of tension that could threaten the security of Meiteis living in Aizawl due to public outrage against the recent viral video of two tribal Kuki-Zo brutally assaulted in Manipur, security arrangements are being made to ensure the safety of Meiteis in Aizawl," said DIG, North Range, Aizawl Police, Lallianmawia, IPS.

Meanwhile, in a statement issued at Aizawl, the non-political but influential Peace Accord MNF Returnees' Association (PAMRA) said, "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.

In a telephone conversation, Mizoram Chief Minister and MNF leader Zoramthanga assured his Manipur counterpart N Biren Singh of the safety of Meiteis in Mizoram.

More than 160 people have lost their lives and several have been injured since ethnic clashes between Meiteis, Kukis, and Zo communities broke out in Manipur on May 3.

The root cause of the violence is said to be the protest staged by a 'Tribal Solidarity March' by Kukis against the Meitei community's demand for Scheduled Tribe (ST) status.

However, the spree of violence had continued between Kukis and Meiteis.

The tribal Nagas and Kukis, constituting over 40 percent of the population, reside mostly in the hill districts, while Meiteis live in and around the state capital, Imphal Valley.

Manipur has a history of conflicts between different communities rooted in hate politics.

Hundreds of Meiteis, including students, mostly from Manipur and Assam, live in Mizoram.

A large number of Kuki-Zo people who fled Manipur after the violence, along with women and children, are now staying in different parts of Mizoram.

Political forces in Mizoram, including the MNF under the BJP's ally Zoramthanga, have also called for reviving the demand for 'Greater Mizoram'.

Civil society leaders in Aizawl say there are a good number of Meitei community people-Hindus, Muslims, and also Christians-staying in the Mizoram state capital and other places. A large number of Meitei people in and around Aizawl are in the motor mechanic and auto-parts business.

The MNF-led Mizoram government has requested the Union Ministry of Home Affairs sanction Rs 5 crore for providing relief to the "thousands of internally displaced people (IDPs), that is, Kukis, from Manipur."

Mizoram Home Commissioner H Lalengmawia will also convene a virtual meeting with all deputy commissioners next week in view of Manipur violence.

On June 1, at the end of his visit to the state, including violence-hit Churachandpur district, Union Home Minister Amit Shah said the Kuki militant groups under Suspension of Operation (SoO), who defy the ground rules, will face stringent actions.

He also outlined a series of measures aimed at restoring peace and stability in the region and emphasised the importance of adhering to the ground rules established for militant groups operating under the SOO agreement.

He announced the setting up of a judicial probe panel headed by a retired high court judge and also a CBI probe to look into the 'conspiracy' angle for triggering unprecedented armed conflict between non-tribal Meiteis and tribals, especially Kukis and other smaller Zo community people.

However, there is no letup in the situation in Manipur. The video footage of two tribal girls being paraded has provoked nationwide condemnation.

This gory episode and the continued violence in Manipur have hit the ongoing Monsoon session of Parliament.

No major business could be transacted during the first two days of the session on July 20 and 21.

The BJP has decided to take the battle to the enemy front. On the 'crime against women' narrative from Manipur, the saffron party on Friday fielded prominent women faces, including former Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje and actress-turned-leader Locket Chatterjee from West Bengal.

In a dramatic twist in the tale, Rajasthan Minister and Congress leader Rajendra Singh Gudha said in the assembly, "It is true and should be accepted that we have failed in women's safety. Instead of Manipur, we should look within ourselves and see that atrocities against women have increased in Rajasthan".

Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot has sacked state minister Rajendra Singh Gudha.

In West Bengal, BJP leader Priyanka Tibrewal said, "I have already filed an affidavit in the Calcutta High Court...," on the alleged incident of 'sexual assault' by Trinamool Congress workers on a BJP worker during Panchayat polls on July 8 in Howrah district.

The victim also told the media, "They dragged me outside the polling booth holding my hair and threw me down the stairs. They also ripped my clothes. Later, I went to a nearby house to borrow clothes. Had my husband not been present there, they could have done anything to me." (IANS)

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