Imphal: Hundreds of tribal women staged protests in Manipur’s Kamjong district on Saturday, demanding the deployment of Assam Rifles in Kuki areas and the reimposition of the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) in the entire state.
The protests were held in response to the killing of three tribals at Sipijang village in the Kamjong district of Manipur on Friday. The victims were identified as Jamkhogin, Thangkhokai, and Hollenson.
A newly formed World Kuki-Zo Intellectual Council (WKZIC) has held responsible two underground outfits, the Kanglei Yaol Kanna Lup (KYKL) and the Manipur Naga Revolution Front (MNRF), for the killings.
The WKZIC has appealed to the United Naga Council (UNC), Manipur, and the Kuki Inpi Manipur (KIM) to sit together and find ways to stop the violence.
The Manipur government has ordered a magisterial inquiry into the killings.
The protests come at a time when the state is already tense due to the ongoing ethnic conflict between the Kuki and Meitei tribes.