In a historic event unfolded at the sacred Kangla Fort in Imphal, all the Meitei legislators including MPs from Manipur came together and took a collective pledge administered by Arambai Tenggol, aimed at safeguarding the integrity of Manipur on Wednesday.
The public pledge comes after an invitation was extended by Arambai Tenggol, in response to escalating violence in the region, with armed Kuki militants causing unrest.
The Chief Minister N Biren Singh, however, was not present in the Kangla gathering of legislators although he signed the declaration.
His absence during the meeting, attended by Union MoS RK Ranjan, MP Leishemba Sanajaoba, and all 36 Meitei legislators, raised eyebrows.
However, it was disclosed that the chief minister had signed the agreement supporting the plea.
The border town of Moreh and peripheral areas of the valley had witnessed incidents resulting in the loss of lives, including civilants and state security forces.
At least 26 Meiteis have lost their lives, and over a dozen have sustained serious injuries in the past 45 days alone while several are missing.
The legislators, including the MPs, pledged to address the situation by urging the central government to act on the six charters of demands put forth by Arambai Tenngol.
These demands aimed at restoring peace in Manipur, include the implementation of the NRC with 1951 as the base year, abrogation of the SoO agreement with Kuki militants, deportation of Myanmar refugees to Mizoram, international border fencing, replacement of AR with other neutral central forces, and removal of Kuki from the ST list.
Arambai Tenggol has set a deadline of 15 days for the government to meet these demands, with the legislators and MPs expressing their commitment to turning these aspirations into reality. In case of failure, they vowed to join the mass movement of the public.
The meeting, commencing at 10:00 am, lasted nearly two hours, symbolising a historic gathering of legislators, MPs, and representatives of Arambai Tenggol amidst deployment of large numbers of security personnel in all the four gates of the Kangla Fort to deny and stop the entry of Arambai Tenggol members at Kangla, as per security arrangement reportedly made by the SP of Imphal West on Tuesday.
Simultaneously, thousands of Arambai Tenggol volunteers from various units across the state were held back by security personnel at various junctions in the Imphal area before reaching Kangla Fort.
In a show of solidarity, volunteers from various clubs and Meira Paibis extended support to Arambai Tenggol, providing water bottles and food items.
