As many as 943 individuals of Jiribam in Manipur have been forcibly displaced following the recent spate of violence in the district in which several houses and properties were set ablaze by armed miscreants.
The Office of the Deputy Commissioner, Jiribam, on Wednesday released the number of inmates presently staying in relief camps. The notice said that a total of 943 IDPs, including women and children, are seeking refuge in seven relief camps across the district.
According to the notice, 65 individuals including 18 men, 26 women and 21 children are being housed at Multipurpose sports complex, Bidyanagar, Jiribam, (Babukhal Dev Committee), while 52 individuals comprising of 9 men, 21 women and 22 children are staying at Multipurpose sports complex, Bidyanagar, Jiribam, (Manipur Western Gate Labour Welfare Union).
It also said that 251 people including 17 men, 109 women and 125 children are seeking refuge at Multipurpose sports complex, Bidyanagar, Jiribam, (Indoor Hall), while 184 displaced persons including 27 men, 82 women and 75 children are at the relief camp opened in Chingdong Leikai Primary School and 126 individuals comprising of 16 men, 55 women and children each are sting at the relief camp in Sorokatingbi High School.
It added that the relief camp opened in Children Home, Harinagar is housing 128 people including 15 men, 66 women and 47 children, while 137 individuals including 97 men, 32 women and 8 children are seeking refuge at Borobekra Relief camp.
Condemning the recent violence in Jiribam district which resulted in the death of a civilian and displaced many, the Manipuri Meitei Association, Bangalore (MMAB) on Wednesday urged the state government to immediately send reinforcements to cease the ongoing violence and restore order in the district.
A release jointly issued by MMAB President Rajkumar Jhaljit Singh and general secretary Nongthombam John Singh, also appealed for providing protection to Lamtai Khunnou, where houses belonging to the Meitei community were burned by Kuki militants.
It further urged the government to construct temporary relief camps at Lamtai Khunnou and facilitate the return of displaced people to their rightful homes and land. It also demanded to take stringent action against the perpetrators to avoid similar outbreaks elsewhere and ensure the protection of National Highway-37 to Imphal, maintaining unimpeded movement for all.
It expressed concerns over the escalating violence in the district, triggered by the alleged murder of a Meitei farmer namely Soibam Sharat. It pointed out that as many as 70 houses belonging to the Meitei community were set ablaze by suspected Kuki militants in Lamtai Khunnou on Sunday.
It claimed that Jiribam has been known to be a very peaceful district with diverse communities coexisting harmoniously, even during the ongoing crisis in other parts of the state. The violence in Jiribam warrants scrutiny, as it has disrupted the longstanding peace between the Hmar and Meitei communities, it maintained. It also appealed to both the communities to maintain their peaceful coexistence.
It asserted that the situation appeared to exclusively favor a specific group aiming to vilify and displace the Meitei community residing in the peripheral areas which is of significant geopolitical economic importance. Noting that violent outbreaks are solely in Meitei inhabited areas and not in Kuki dominated areas, it stressed the need for immediate action to protect the people.
It also condemned the attack on the Chief Minister’s convoy by Kuki militants and termed it as a cowardly act exacerbating the situation and said that such must be addressed firmly and decisively. MMAB also called upon all to reaffirm commitment to maintaining peace and harmony in the state, it added.
