Kuki women form human chain to protect Meitei people from mob

Kuki women formed a human chain in Churachandpur town to protect people of the majority Meitei community from a mob to help them board army vehicles which were at a distance during the recent violence in Manipur.

The Kuki women did not allow the mob to do any harm to Meitei people who were being evacuated from violence-affected areas.

''Womenfolk lined up on the street and they did not allow the mob to move further or indulge in any kind of vandalism as people were being evacuated from violence-affected areas'', a resident of the town, who wished not to be named told PTI.

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A video of the incident went viral on social media soon after. "The Kuki women sent a strong message of humanity by ensuring that the mob did not cause any harm to them", the resident said while vouching for the incident having occurred in front of him on Thursday, the day of the worst rioting in Manipur.

A Twitter user Linthoi Chanu said on the microblogging site that while a lot of Twitter is reporting communal hate and further worsening of inter-community ties, Meitei people who are in minority in Churachandpur have come on record to say that they have been protected by the Kuki community from those who instigated the violence.

''Similarly, Meitei girls are protecting Kuki students in Manipur University while some of you enjoy hatred in the name of communal tension", Chanu added.

Meitei women have similarly intervened to protect Kuki students studying in the capital of Manipur.

This is the first time that such widespread ethnic violence has broken out in the northeastern state.

Representatives of both communities have been engaged with the security forces to arrange for the evacuation of members affected by the violence to safety.

The army and the Assam Rifles have so far evacuated 11,400 affected people from Churachandpur, Imphal and Moreh, a Defence spokesperson said.

"We are providing all possible assistance to provide succour to the evacuated people and to ensure their safety," he said.

Violent clashes broke out between tribals and members of the majority Meitei community in Manipur on Wednesday, displacing thousands of people.

The clashes were reported after a 'Tribal Solidarity March' was organised in the ten hill districts of Manipur to protest against the Meitei community's demand for Scheduled Tribe (ST) status.

Meiteis account for about 53 per cent of the state population and live mostly in the Imphal Valley.

Tribals -- Nagas and Kukis -- constitute another 40 per cent of the population and reside mostly in the hill districts.