Crisis imperils peace in entire North-East

The Manipur crisis, which has reached a crescendo due to the nationwide outrage over a video clip showing two women being paraded naked, is spilling over to other states in the North-East. Dozens of Meitei people, who were residing in Mizoram, have fled to Assam following an ‘advisory’ issued by the Peace Accord MNF Returnees’ Association (PAMRA), an ex-militants’ group. The Meiteis — the majority community in Manipur — find themselves under threat because a Meitei mob was allegedly responsible for the horrifying assault on Kuki-Zomi women in early May. Meiteis are leaving Mizoram despite the state government’s assurances about their safety and security, even as PAMRA ‘clarified’ that it had only asked them to exercise caution in the light of ‘public sentiments’ regarding the ethnic conflict in Manipur. Some Mizoram-based Meiteis have even taken refuge in Manipur. What has caused anxiety and insecurity among Meiteis is a call given by Mizoram’s civil society groups to hold statewide demonstrations today (July 25) in protest against the violence unleashed on members of the Kuki, Hmar, Mizo and Zomi communities in Manipur. Notably, the immediate trigger for ethnic clashes in Manipur was a ‘Tribal Solidarity March’ taken out on May 3 in protest against the Meitei community’s demand for Scheduled Tribe status.

(Tribune, India)