Protests, peace appeals mark a year of Manipur ethnic conflict

Both Kuki-Zo and Meitei groups on Friday held events across Manipur and in Delhi’s Jantar Mantar to mark one year since the beginning of the ongoing ethnic conflict in Manipur between the two communities, with several Kuki-Zo and Meitei organisations calling for peace and making their case before the Centre.

While the Indigenous Tribal Leaders’ Forum in Churachandpur held a prayer service in the morning to honour people from their community who had been killed in the violence so far, civil society organisations in the valley such as the Coordinating Committee on Manipur Integrity along with other similar outfits passed a resolution calling for a plan for permanent peace in the State. Events were also held by Kuki-Zo bodies in Kangpokpi, with a candlelight vigil being taken out in both the hill districts for the people they had lost in the conflict so far.

The ethnic conflict in Manipur began one year ago on May 3 between the valley-based majority Meitei people and the hills-based Scheduled Tribe Kuki-Zo people in the immediate backdrop of a Manipur High Court order that directed the State government to consider the inclusion of Meiteis in the ST list.