Students in Manipur, under the banner of the North East Students' Organisation (NESO), gathered for a candlelight vigil at the Western gate of the Kangla Fort on Wednesday evening.
The vigil held in the evening aimed to show solidarity to the peace movement in violence-hit Manipur.
Several well-wishers from various civil bodies also participated in the event and similar candlelight vigils were conducted in collaboration with NESO's constituent student bodies in other Northeastern states.
The demonstrations were organised to express condolences for the lives lost, offer prayers for the displaced individuals, and advocate for the restoration of peace amid the ongoing conflict.
The candlelight vigil served as a poignant reminder of the urgent need for peace and stability in Manipur and NESO's call for the attention of relevant authorities to address the situation and ensure the well-being of the affected students.
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Advisor of NESO Prakash Sinam spoke to the media during the protest and expressed disappointment over the silence of Prime Minister Modi regarding the situation in Manipur.
He suggested that the lack of response from the Prime Minister may indicate a hidden agenda concerning the conflict.
Sinam also highlighted that many students from other Northeastern states have been forced to flee and are unable to resume their daily routines or attend classes due to the unrest in Manipur.
He lastly called upon the authorities to explore all possible means to restore peace and normalcy, allowing students to pursue their education without hindrance.
Meanwhile, NESO also asked if the Government of India has a “hidden agenda by allowing the ongoing violence to continue" in the state of Manipur during the candlelight vigil organized in collaboration with the Khasi Students Union (KSU) at Khyndailad in Shillong.
“If the violence is not stopped at this very moment, it shows that the Government of India has a hidden agenda behind allowing this violence to continue in the state of Manipur,” NESO chairman Samuel B Jyrwa told reporters.
“Well, we don’t know what will be the hidden agenda but there may be some designs by the outside forces inimical to the interest of the peoples of the different states of the NE region,” he added.
Slamming both the State and Centre governments for failing to contain the violence in Manipur, Jyrwa said, “Both the state government and the Centre have failed in their fight against this violence".
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Jyrwa also expressed shock at the silence maintained by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the Manipur situation and said, “It is very surprising and shocking that the Prime Minister of the country who used to be very active in commenting on any issue affecting the different states of the country is still silent till today even after nearly two months that this mayhem have occurred in the state of Manipur.”
“And we urged and we called upon the Prime Minister of India to speak on this issue and to take proactive measures in order to stop the violence and to resolve the issues which may arise out of this problem,” he added.
Stating that it is high time that peace be restored in Manipur, the NESO chief said the candlelight vigil is observed in all the state capitals of the North East region including Tura, which is hosted by the Garo Students Union to call for peace in Manipur and to stop violence activities in Manipur.
Jyrwa informed that the NESO team will shortly be visiting the state of Manipur and will be meeting leaders from both the Meitei and Kuki organizations.
“We believe through our interaction with them, we would be able to bring some sort of semblance of peace in the state of Manipur,” he added.
(With inputs from Agency)
