The exodus of Meiteis living in Mizoram is continuing despite the assurance of safety and deployment of armed security forces to maintain peace during the "Justice for Tribals" rally in Mizoram on Tuesday.
Several Meiteis, mostly students and workers, reached the South Assam districts of Cachar, Karimganj and Hailakandi, sharing border with Mizoram and Manipur, on Monday fearing possible tension during the rally in Aizawl. More than 200 Meiteis, who came from Mizoram on Saturday and Sunday, have been provided shelters in the three Assam districts. Some of them had even gone back to Manipur.
Meiteis are a majority in Manipur and there are around 2,000 Meiteis, mostly government employees and students, who live in neighbouring Mizoram.
But they started fleeing from Saturday after an organisation of former Mizo insurgents issued a "warning" to the Meiteis due to the public outrage caused by the video that showed two Kuki women being paraded naked by a Meitei mob during the violence in Manipur on May 4.
The Mizoram home department held a meeting with leaders of the group, Peace Accord MNF Returnees' Association (PAMRA) on Saturday in which it decided not to pursue their warning.
Warning to Mizos in Assam
South Assam districts stepped up security arrangements after the All Assam Manipuri Students' Union issued a warning asking the Mizos to vacate South Assam, popularly called Barak Valley, in view of the warning issued to the Meiteis in Mizoram. The Union, however, decided to withdraw the warning on Tuesday evening saying it "always stands for peace and harmony."
Mizoram DGP held a meeting on Sunday in which he instructed the police to ensure security during the "Justice for Tribals" rally to be organised by Mizo organisations on Tuesday to register their protest against the attacks on Kuki-Zomi communities in Manipur.
Kukis share an ethnic bond with the Mizos. Mizoram government said 12,584 people belonging to Kuki and Zomi tribes from Manipur have taken shelter in the state after the clashes between the Meiteis and Kukis turned volatile in Manipur. Over 140 people, mostly Kukis, have been killed and over 60,000 others have been left displaced due to the violence since May 3.