Manipur violence: Meitei women protest in Delhi, accuse centre of playing 'divide and rule', reject 10 lakh compensation

With the situation in Manipur worsening by the day, women from the northeastern state protested in the national capital seeking Prime Minister Narendra Modi's attention over the grave matter. -- Reports ETV Bharat's Gautam Debroy.

New Delhi:As violence in Manipur shows no respite, hundreds of Meitei women from the strife-torn state on Monday came out on the streets of Delhi demanding intervention from Prime Minister Narendra Modi to stop the bloodshed.

The agitated women representing Khwairambam Ema Keithal Joint Coordinating Committee for Peace also rejected the monetary compensation of Rs 10 lakh as announced by Home Minister Amit Shah. "We don't want momentary compensation. What we will do with the money? We appeal to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to intervene in the matter so that the violence ends immediately," said Liklang, a member of the committee.

Home Minister Amit Shah during his recent visit to Manipur announced a compensation of Rs 10 lakh to the kin of the families of victims of the ongoing violence in which over 100 people have been killed since May 3. "While Manipur has been suffering through the most horrible communal catastrophe for more than 45 days, the Prime Minister has no time to visit Manipur and even did not say a single word. Since he has no time to visit Manipur, we, 75 women representatives of the Khwairambam Ema Keithal Joint Coordinating Committee for Peace have come to Delhi to meet the Prime Minister," said Iman Janu Behum, another member of the committee.

The women representatives from Manipur also criticized Home Minister Amit Shah for "playing divide and rule policy in the state". "We condemn the meeting between Home Minister and Naga and Kuki MLAs in the recent past. Failure on the part of the Home Minister to regulate the Kuki armed groups under Suspension of Operations (SoO) and bring back normalcy despite his three days stay in the State has made the people of Manipur more apprehensive," the committee said.

They alleged that the prejudiced role played by the central security forces including Assam Rifles and Rapid Action Force has further worsened the situation. "A section of central security forces is regularly seen obstructing the normal functioning of the state police forces. They have also reportedly sided with the Kukis and remained as mute spectators to act on the Kuki armed miscreants," the committee said.

In a memorandum submitted to the Prime Minister's Office (PMO), the Khwairambam Ema Keithal Joint Coordinating Committee for Peace appealed to Modi to make the Kuki militants accountable for the present violence by withdrawing from the tripartite SoO. "Government of India must ensure to disarm armed Meetei youths after the abrogation of suspension of operation with Kuki militants," the committee said.