Protest held by Tribals in Delhi demands separate admin, Prez rule

New Delhi: People belonging to tribal communities of violence-hit Manipur staged a protest rally at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi on Wednesday (May 31).

The protest was organized by the Joint UNAU Delhi Tribal Students Forum.
People mostly belonging to the Kuki, Hmar, Zomi and Mizo tribes of Manipur participated in the protest in New Delhi.

During the protest, participants demanded “separate administration” for tribals in Manipur.
They also demanded the dismissal of Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh and his government.
The participants of the protest program said that President’s rule should be imposed in Manipur immediately.
Demonstrators chanted slogans such as “Tribal lives matter” in a rally called “Tribal Solidarity Protest”.

Earlier, the Manipur Tribal Forum, Delhi, accused the state government of supporting Meitei rebel groups in an attempt at “ethnic cleansing”.

The allegation was made by the Manipur Tribal Forum, Delhi while briefing the media in New Delhi on Wednesday.
Leaders of the tribal organization alleged that “Meitei rebels, who are supported by the Manipur government, are targeting people belonging to Kuki, Mizo and Hmar tribes”.

The Manipur Tribal Forum, Delhi also stated that “the level of violence against tribal communities in the state is so high that it has become impossible to live with the majority Meitei community”.
The tribal organization claimed that over 100 tribal villages in Manipur were attacked by miscreants “as part of the ethnic cleansing of the Manipur government”.

“More than 4,000 houses belonging to tribals were torched by Meitei mobs who were supported by the Manipur government,” a leader of a tribal organization said while talking to media persons.

Additionally, the Manipur Tribals Forum, Delhi accused media houses in Manipur and others working outside the state of not reporting on the plight of tribals.
“The media is in the hands of the majority (Metei),” said a leader of the Manipur Tribal Forum, Delhi.

Notably, Manipur has been on the boil since May 3 following clashes between two communities in the state and subsequent widespread violence.

Around 100 people have lost their lives and thousands have been displaced in the state following the clashes and subsequent violence.