Waari Singbul Network | 3 October 2023

Normal life in Chin-Kuki-Zo dominated districts of Churachandpur and Kangpokpi continued to be paralyzed for the second day on Tuesday as the women wing of Indigenous Tribals’ Leaders Forum (ITLF) and Committee on Tribal Unity (COTU) enforced the indefinite shutdown in their respective districts.

The civil bodies protested against what they termed as arbitrary arrest of 4 persons and detention of 2 minors over the alleged abduction and murder of 2 teen students from Imphal and another individual on the charges of transnational conspiracy case.

Members of the ITLF women wing made sure all streets in Churachandpur wore a deserted look as all shutters of the shops and other establishments were shut. Market places witnessed no activities and government offices saw no attendance. Even banks and educational institutions remained closed.

Rebecca, an ITLF Women wing activist, who was enforcing the shutdown manning the streets of Churachandpur, justified the shutdown and alleged discrimination between the communities.

While several cases of rape and killing of Kuki-Zo are not looked into, including the sexual assault on the two Kuki ladies and the burning alive of the mother and son in an ambulance, the case of the two missing and alleged murder of the two Meitei students were swiftly investigated by CBI who even ‘abducted’ 6 persons including 2 minors, she argued.

She questioned the partiality and asked what kind of justice is this.  Condemning the arrest of 6 persons by CBI, she appealed for their release without conditions.

Further she urged the CBI not to act in haste under political pressure but act professionally and arrest those who are responsible for all crimes committed during the conflict not based on communities or religion. She added that they will keep demanding justice in all the cases of crime against the Kuki-Zo people.

Meanwhile the ITLF reportedly called off its indefinite shutdown stir and resolved to impose similar stir once in a week on Wednesday till its demands are complied with by the government. 

Incidentally, when the sexual assault of the two Kukis ladies who were paraded naked went viral on social media a day prior to the beginning of the monsoon Parliament session, people regardless of communities across the state protested widely and even aided the administration in making arrest of the culprits involved in the crime against the women and even vandalizing their houses.