Churachandpur Rallies, Manipur Govt's Silence Slammed

Churachandpur, Sep 16 : It has been fifteen days since the spontaneous protest over the three Bill erupted in Churachandpur and other hill districts of the State and there is still no sign of normalcy returning to the district.

Significantly the bodies of nine people including a minor who were killed in the protest are still lying at the morgue.

Schools and offices have since closed and agitations and restrictions continue to affect public life and yet the political leaders both in the State and centre have shown no will to restore normalcy here, in a stark display of their apathy towards the popular voice in this restive part of the country.

For days, bullets and mob violence have overwhelmed normal life and dharnas, rallies, bandhs and public curfew have crammed people's life. Nine people have been killed and kept in a makeshift-mortuary that has neither a cold storage nor any tool to preserve human remains.

Church bells have stopped ringing to mourn the deaths. Womenfolk, now at the forefront of the protest are draped in black; houses raise black flags and the few emergency vehicles that ply as well adorn black flags. Anything, everything they do symbolise their mourning turning the protest and their protest into a public movement but the State Government and the Centre have so far not done anything concrete to restore normalcy or show concern for the common man.

The State tribals who have been brought together by the Bills like never before have pledged to never let the blood of nine martyrs vanish in thin air, rolling out their agitation plans well ahead for weeks. The Government has shown no sincere and genuine attempt to restore normalcy.

Meanwhile, women groups in hundreds today held a peace rally from their dharna points and converged at Lamka Public ground where the leaders who addressed them took a jibe at the Government’s attempt to still downplay their movement.

Some of the leaders from Mizo Peoples' Convention, Hmar Inpui, Kuki Inpi, and Zomi Council who addressed the rally have even dubbed the present uprising as a political earthquake taking into consideration its magnitude, but the Government seems to think otherwise, in stark contrast to the ground reality.

The call for interminable unity, criticism of the elected representatives to protect the tribal interest and their refusal to own it up, and the need for a separate political administration were repeatedly raised during the rally amidst a highly charged atmosphere.

They also questioned the Central Government for kow-towing to Ibobi’s rhyme, questioning how many BJP leaders have now set their foot in the hill districts, before and after the uprising, despite the iconic announcement of Prime Minister Narendra Modi that his his Cabinet Ministers will visit the North Eastern States on rotational basis.