Manipur Violence: Apex Body Of Tribal Organisations Writes To Amit Shah With Five Demands

The Manipur ethnic violence doesn't seem to be ending anytime soon as more clashes between the Meiteis and Kukis break out every day.

The women's wing of the Indigenous Tribal Leaders' Forum (ITLF) stage a protest in Churachandpur last month. ( Image Source :PTI )

The Indigenous Tribal Leaders Forum (ITLF), an apex body of recognized tribes in Manipur, has reached out to Union Home Minister Amit Shah with a five-point memorandum, requesting a five-day delay in the burial of the deceased from the Kuki-Zo communities.

In the letter addressed to the Union Home Minister, the tribal organization stated, "After extensive discussions amongst ITLF members and various stakeholders, we have agreed to consider the Ministry of Home Affairs' request for a five-day delay in the burial. However, this agreement is contingent on the fulfilment of our five-point demands."

The five demands are as follows:

• The ITLF wants the formal legislation of the burial site located in S Boljang of Churachandpur district.
  
  
• The organisation has also demanded the exclusion of all Meitei state forces from deployment in the hill districts to ensure the safety of the Kuki-Zo communities.
  
  
• The ITLF requested that due to the delayed burial, the deceased from the Kuki-Zo communities currently in the state capital of Imphal, be transported to Lamka in the Churachandpur district.
  
  
• The organization urged for an expeditious process of completely segregating the regions inhabited by the Kuki-Zo communities from the rest of Manipur.
  
  
• The fifth and final demand presented by the ITLF is the transfer of tribal jail inmates in Imphal to other states for their protection.

Earlier in the day, clashes between the Army, Rapid Action Force (RAF) personnel, and locals resulted in injuries to at least 17 individuals in the Kangvai and Phougakchao areas of Bishnupur district.

Tensions heightened during the morning in the Bishnupur district, as numerous locals took to the streets in an attempt to impede the movement of security forces. Led predominantly by women, the locals sought to bypass barricades set up by the Army and RAF personnel, advocating for access to Tuibuong, the designated burial site.

Subsequently, the district magistrates of both Imphal East and Imphal West retracted the earlier relaxation of curfew measures, implementing daytime restrictions as an added precaution alongside the existing night curfew throughout the Imphal valley. In response to potential disruptions, the district magistrates of both areas independently issued orders to reinstate the daytime curfew.

Since ethnic clashes erupted in Manipur on May 3, following a 'Tribal Solidarity March' in protest against the Meitei community's demand for Scheduled Tribe (ST) status, over 160 people have lost their lives, and several hundred have sustained injuries.