Thousands of people march in Mizoram to support Kuki-Zo tribals in Manipur

 The solidarity march, held in all 11 districts of Mizoram, was organised by the NGO Co-ordination Committee, a joint forum of five leading non-government organisations

Umanand Jaiswal, TT, Guwahati, 26.07.23 : Mizoram on Tuesday threw its weight behind their Kuki-Zo brethren in Manipur by organising a solidarity march demanding immediate resolution of the conflict that erupted on May 3.

The solidarity march, held in all 11 districts of Mizoram, was organised by the NGO Co-ordination Committee, a joint forum of five leading non-government organisations, and drew thousands from all sections and cut across party lines.

A highlight of the rally was the participation of chief minister Zoramthanga, whose party, the MNF, supports the BJP at the Centre but not in Mizoram. Neither the chief minister nor other political leaders addressed the gathering to keep the rally "completely apolitical”, a resident said.

A rallyist in Mizoram holds a placard expressing solidarity with the Kuki-Zo people in Manipur. Sourced by The Telegraph

The rally in the capital Aizawl was the “biggest ever” the state has seen, several residents and leaders said, attracting over 80,000 participants.

Most carried placards and banners offering support to the Kuki-Zo victims of the unrest. The Mizos and the Kukis share the same Zo ancestry.

The violence has left at least 152 dead, 60,000 displaced and wreaked unprecedented devastation on the life and livelihood of both the Kuki-Zo and Meitei communities.

The organisers, the Co-ordination Committee, Mizoram, sent a memorandum to Prime Minister Narendra Modi “praying for the restoration of peace and harmony” in neighbouring Manipur.

The three-page memorandum to Modi stated that the ongoing unrest “is destroying the democratic fabric of our great Nation, tarnishing the image of India before the world. We demand an end to all instances of disregard for the law and destruction of precious lives and properties, and to bring the perpetrators before the law for justice".

“While our Nation has always been considered the world’s largest democracy, it is unfortunate that the ongoing strife in Manipur is exposing a bleak image of a chaotic and undemocratic India, and a collapsing government before the entire world, creating opportunities for our rivals to ridicule us. This is not what India wants, and certainly not what our Constitution stands for. We request that all options must be explored to restore the collapsing governance and re-establishment of democracy in Manipur,” the memorandum added.

The memorandum cited the atrocities committed upon tribal women, including the video-recorded savagery on two Kuki-Zo women, saying it indicates not only the “failure of constitutional machinery in the state but also reveals that humanity was being severely torn to pieces in the state of Manipur".

Lalhmachhuana, vice-president of the Central Young Mizo Association (CMYA), said they wanted to send a message to the central government through the solidarity march to immediately halt the ongoing violence in Manipur.

“The rally in Aizawl, the biggest ever, was held to express our support to the Kuki-Zo people who have suffered in the continuing unrest and for an early resolution of the conflict,” the CMYA office-bearer said.

The rally in Aizawl was taken out from the southern (Kulikawn) and northern (Chandmari) ends and culminated at the Raj Bhawan, covering around 4km. The road leading to the Raj Bhawan was packed with rally participants.

Placards that read “Enough is enough: Stop the violence”; “We are Indians”; “Arrest the culprits”; “Women’s bodies are not battlefield” and “Stop attacking our tribal brethren in Manipur” summed up the mood of the Mizo people.

Mizoram has been extending support to the displaced Kuki-Zo people since the violence erupted, sheltering over 12,000 of them.

The MNF-led government is also the first state to have raised its voice for an early solution to the unrest. The Opposition parties in the state have expressed their support to the affected and concern over the unrest.

Residents said that all shops and other business establishments were shut while commercial vehicle operators had also stopped their services during the duration of the march, from 11am to 2pm.

In its memorandum to Modi, the organisers highlighted the ongoing violence, the destruction of churches (359) and villages (197), the "blatant” human rights violations, the suffering of the students, the safety of tribal Manipur government personnel and central government employees and issues related to relief and rehabilitation.