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Meiteis flee Mizoram after 'warning' by ex-insurgents in the wake of Manipur viral videoMeiteis are in majority in Manipur (about 53 per cent) and there are nearly 2,000 Meiteis living in neighbouring Mizoram.
Sumir Karmakar
DHNS
Last Updated IST
Over 140 people, mostly Kukis, have been killed and over 60,000 others have been left displaced due to the violence in Manipur since May 3. Credit: PTI File Photo
Over 140 people, mostly Kukis, have been killed and over 60,000 others have been left displaced due to the violence in Manipur since May 3. Credit: PTI File Photo

People belonging to the Meitei community living in Mizoram started fleeing the state on Saturday after an organisation of former insurgents reportedly issued a warning about their safety in view of the outrage caused by the viral video showing two Kuki women being paraded naked in Manipur.

Mizoram Home Commissioner H Lalengmawia held a meeting with leaders of the former insurgent group, Peace Accord MNF Returnees' Association (PAMRA) on Saturday following reports that nearly 60 Meiteis, mostly government employees and students, took a flight and reached Manipur in the morning.

A statement issued by the Mizoram government, however, said the PAMRA leaders decided not to follow through with their warning after the Home Commissioner apprised them about the steps taken regarding the conflict in Manipur.

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The Commissioner later met leaders of the All Mizoram Manipuri Association to assure them about their safety and requested them not to leave the state.

On Friday, the Mizoram government started deploying armed security personnel in areas inhabited by the Meiteis in the state capital Aizawl in the wake of the warning.

Meiteis are in majority in Manipur (about 53 per cent) and there are nearly 2,000 Meiteis living in neighbouring Mizoram. The Home Commissioner said 12,584 people belonging to Kuki and Zomi tribes have taken shelter in Mizoram after the clashes between the Meiteis and Kukis turned Manipur volatile. Over 140 people, mostly Kukis, have been killed and over 60,000 others have been left displaced due to the violence since May 3.

The Mizoram government has provided shelters to the displaced persons as Kukis are ethnically closer to the Mizos. Mizoram CM Zoramthanga had earlier expressed concern over the Manipur situation and said that the Centre can only solve the problem in the state. He had also urged the Centre to provide financial aid to take care of the displaced persons taking shelter in Mizoram. The Centre, however, is yet to release any funds to Mizoram for the displaced persons.

Sixth arrest in the viral video case:

The Manipur police said they arrested two persons on Saturday including a juvenile, who were allegedly part of the mob that paraded two Kuki women on May 4.

The arrests were made on a day security forces had to fire tear gas shells in Imphal to disperse a group of Meitei women who blocked the roads and burnt tyres to register their protest.

The youth, identified as Yumlembam Nungsithoi Meitei, was arrested after he was seen in the video shared on social media. Police said raids were underway in many suspected hideouts to arrest the remaining persons involved in the shocking incident. Four Meitei men were arrested on Thursday, a day after the video went viral on social media triggering anger and outrage.

The arrests were made amid protests by hundreds of Kukis in Kuki-dominated hill districts in Manipur and in New Delhi, who demanded justice for the victims and removal of Chief Minister N Biren Singh.

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(Published 22 July 2023, 21:03 IST)