Manipur violence: Meitei women in Pune to hold sit-in at collectorate

Clashes erupted in Manipur on May 3 during a rally organised by the All Tribals Students Union to protest against the demand for the inclusion of Meiteis in the Scheduled Tribe list.

Meitei Nupi Lup - a nonprofit body dedicated to assisting and uplifting Meitei women – will stage a sit-in at the district collector's office on Monday. (source: PTI)

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Manipur-based Jashiliya Arambam, 30, who has been working at a private firm in Pune for the past four years, is worried about the escalating violence in her native state. “My sister-in-law’s family stays in Churachandpur district of Manipur and their houses were torched in the clashes that took place on May 3. Since then they have been staying in relief camps,” she says.

The rumblings of the Manipur crisis are felt in Pune which houses an estimated 2,000 people from the north-eastern state, half of whom are students. Meitei Nupi Lup – a nonprofit body dedicated to assisting and uplifting Meitei women – will stage a sit-in at the district collector’s office on Monday (June 26).

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Another Manipur native Salam Nirmala, who stays at Kharadi says her close friend has lost her belongings, important documents, and certificates after her house was burnt down.

“It is like an open field there,” says Nirmala who is among the coordinators of Meitei Nupi Lup.

“For the past 50 days the situation has been in dire straits in our home state and we want to express our solidarity against the violence and raise awareness among the public and the Centre,” Nirmala says.

“We want peace and harmony to prevail and want our Prime Minister Narendra Modi to address us,” Arambam adds.

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Last month, a ‘peace gathering’ was organised by the Association of Manipuri Diaspora (AMAND) in Pune.

Meanwhile, a silent peace march has been organised by the Diocese of Poona on July 1 to express solidarity with victims of violence in Manipur and other parts of the country, Father Malcolm Sequeira, Vicar General, Diocese of Poona said.