Mizoram govt arranges security cover for Meiteis after ex-insurgents warn them to leave state
Members of Meira Paibis, powerful vigilante group of Hindu majority Meitei women, march toward a site of a gunfight in Kangchup, near Imphal Manipur in June. A video that went viral late Wednesday, 19 July, is emblematic of the deadly conflict in Manipur where ethnic clashes between two communities since May have left more than 130 people dead. The video shows two naked women being surrounded by scores of young men who grope their private parts and drag them to a nearby field. AP
A day after former insurgents warned Meiteis living in Mizoram to leave the state “for their own safety”, the government has arranged special security to keep them safe in the capital city of Aizawl.
On Friday, Peace Accord MNF Returnees’ Association (PAMRA) issued a statement saying that Meiteis should leave Mizoram and that there is “anger among Mizo youth” over the viral video incident in Manipur which showed two Meitie women being paraded naked.
“Mizo sentiments have been deeply hurt by the violence meted out to the Zo-ethnic community in Manipur,” PAMRA said. It added that if any kind of violence is inflicted upon Meiteis in Mizoram, they would bear all the responsibility themselves.
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“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.
To ensure the safety of Meiteis, the chief ministers of the two states, N Biren Singh and Zoramthanga had earlier held a telephone conversation.
Meanwhile, the government in Mizoram has already taken steps to keep Meities safe in the state.
A video, about two months old, from Manipur was widely circulated on Twitter and other social media platforms on Wednesday which showed two women being paraded naked by a mob, assaulted and gang raped.
A mid-level police official has confirmed the incident and dated it back to May 4, just a day after ethnic clashes broke out between the Kuki and Meitei communities in Manipur’s Churachandpur town.
