New Delhi: As the ongoing violence in Manipur shows no respite, more than 50 academics based in Delhi on Monday appealed to President Droupadi Murmu, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah for their intervention to end the ongoing ethnic clash in Manipur.
The academics comprise Manipuri citizens working at Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), University of Delhi (DU), Jamia Milia Islamia, Indian Statistical Institute Delhi, IGNOU Delhi and other institutes. The academics under the banner of Delhi Manipuri Academic Fraternity urged the Union government for an immediate and lasting intervention in bringing an end to the violence and in facilitating the measures for the restoration of peace in violence-hit Manipur.
They said that the blockade of National Highway 2 (NH-2) should be immediately lifted to allow the free movement of people and basic commodities. "Union and State governments must restore law and order in Manipur and steps should be taken up to regain the trust of the people irrespective of communities," they said.
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The academicians also called for a specialised force to guard the Indo-Myanmar border. "Indo-Myanmar border should be managed by a separate Specialised Border Guarding Forces to check movement of narcotics, arms and militants," they said.
For effective border management and security to check narcotics, arms and militant movements across the border, we urge the Union government to employ specialised border guarding forces. We urge you to make necessary and appropriate institutional arrangements at the border for strict identification of non-citizens, they said.
The academics also appealed to amend Article 371 C for the fair economic development of the State. "Article 371 C under the Constitution of India should be amended for better utilisation of land, and equal accessibility of people to the land and resources across the state to enable overall fair economic development," they said.
They further said that the government must ensure uninhibited passage between the relief camps and health facilities.
"No obstruction should endanger anybody’s life when they are being transported from the relief camps to hospitals. The children, who have witnessed the violence, we fear, will be subjected to post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). There is, therefore, an urgent requirement to counsel these young children and engage them in educational, recreational and other healing programmes," they said.
