The Thadou Community International (TCI) on Sunday vehemently condemned the killing of a Meitei woman, Sapam Ongbi Sonia Devi, a farmer, at Saitol village in Bishnupur district on Saturday by suspected Kuki armed militants.
It is highly unfortunate to witness fresh violence in Manipur after a period of lull for the last few months, stated a release. The most recent killing at Saiton happened a couple of days after the attack on Zairon Hmar village in Jiribam on Thursday, where a woman named Sangkim, was killed by suspected Meitei militants, it stated.
It said that TCI seeks justice in both cases and greater concerted efforts by both Central and State government authorities to prevent similar incidents, otherwise the situation could get out of control leading to large-scale violence throughout the state again.
This fresh violence signals the need for more and all out collaborative efforts by government authorities, community leaders and general public from all affected communities to work together for lasting peace, it stated.
“It is a matter of shame for our nation, India, that this violence in Manipur is continuing at the cost of innocent victims and India as a nation,” it added.
It lamented that the tiny state of Manipur, with a total population of about 30 lakh, was yet to recover from several ethnic violence in the past during the 1990s between different groups, when the current violence broke out on May 3, 2023 in areas adjoining Churachandpur and Bishnupur districts.
As a multi-ethnic society, people of Manipur, irrespective of communities, must realise the futility of violence , raise voices and join hands together against the violence, otherwise the future is bleak for everyone, it stated.
It said that blaming one another and trying to garner support of someone else or some other groups against each other, but without a solution, will not do any good for us now and the future generations.
“We cannot, and should not, expect or wait for others to bring peace for us while allowing the violence to continue, bringing more and more harm to our own society, our own people. Nobody loses but only us, people of Manipur as a society,” TCI stated.
“With courage, wisdom and vision, let us all stand up and say enough is enough to violence and killing, and let peace reign once again in our society,” it added.
