Reported by Bit Irom
Imphal: Several Kuki-Zo people, mostly students in school uniforms, on Wednesday staged a sit-in protest at Shangkai village in Manipur’s Ukhrul district against a series of grievances affecting the community, including the continued detention of three students among 14 Kukis allegedly being held hostage since May 13.
The Kuki Students’ Organisation (KSO), in collaboration with the Kuki Women’s Union, organized the protest.
Placards carried by the protesters read, “Our childhood should not be a compelled house arrest due to bombings,” “Bring 3 abducted students back,” and “We want safe education; merge us with KPI (Kangpokpi).”
Kuki students in school uniforms and children took part in the demonstration, where banners and festoons read, “We want our school, not a relief camp,” “Our future is not a waiting game,” “We want our school, not a church building as a classroom,” and “Release the 14 Kuki men.”
Mercy Khongsai, vice-president of KSO-Ukhrul, said on the sidelines of the protest that the demonstration was also aimed at drawing attention to the alleged failure to implement the March 19 Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), which, according to the protesters, has severely affected students and deepened the humanitarian crisis faced by the community.
The protesters also condemned the alleged administrative neglect of Kuki students, the alleged abduction of three Kuki-Zo students and 11 other Kuki-Zo men, and what they described as “systemic atrocities” against Kuki-Zo people in Ukhrul and Kamjong districts.
Stating that the Kuki-Zo people were “not asking for sympathy” but demanding “justice, dignity, security, and a rightful existence,” Mercy Khongsai reiterated demands for the immediate release of the abducted men, implementation of the MoU, and an end to alleged atrocities against the Kuki-Zo community.