Mass Sit-In Protest Held In Imphal Demanding Peace And Justice

A mass sit-in protest was held at Keishampat in Imphal West on Saturday under the banner of ‘Taragi Cheishu,’ a collective of professionals including lawyers, doctors, academics, and journalists. The protesters demanded immediate solution to the present unrest and bring peace & normalcy in the state.

Shija Academy of Health Sciences student, Beena Kumari said, "We strongly condemn the innocent killing of women and children of Manipur. We demand (from) the government to find a solution as soon as possible...we are fighting for justice."

General Secretary, Taragi Cheishu, Dhakeshear Singh, "We are sitting here especially for protesting against these violent occurrences which is not being controlled from the side of the law. The law should take in its own hands, its own force to settle all these matters. I don't think a country like India, which is so strong in the defence sector, should have such problems in controlling (violence) for more than one and a half years. it is really unfortunate."

Demonstrations and rallies in various parts of the Imphal valley have been held against the re-imposition of AFSPA and the recent killing of three women and three children in Jiribam district. The Centre on November 14 re-imposed the Armed Forces Special Powers Act in Manipur's six police station areas, including Jiribam.

Three women and three children belonging to the Meitei community had gone missing from a relief camp in Jiribam after a gunfight between security forces and suspected Kuki-Zo militants that resulted in the deaths of 10 insurgents on November 11. The six bodies were found in the Jiri river in Jiribam and Barak river in Cachar of neighbouring Assam over the past few days. Following the discovery of the bodies, violence broke out in Jiribam and Imphal Valley.