Manipur crisis: Protest erupts in Jiribam following renewed violence
Imphal: In response to a fresh wave of violence, hundreds of people in Jiribam district of Manipur took to the streets on Wednesday (June 26), demanding justice and the restoration of peace in the district.
The renewed violence began as individuals, previously sheltered in various relief camps, started returning to their homes.
In the early hours of Wednesday (June 26), suspected Kuki miscreants allegedly employed a three-pronged strategy to set fire to three abandoned houses in the villages of Harinagar, Koukhal and Utrakhan Kumjabon under Borobekra sub-division in Jiribam district of Manipur.
Borobekra sub-division has been a focal point of ethnic violence in Manipur, with around 80 houses burned down by armed miscreants since June 06.
Also read: Manipur CM claims decline in drug trafficking and poppy cultivation
In response to the attacks, a mass protest rally was organized, starting from Ima Market and culminating at the DC office in Jiribam district headquarters.
Protesters carried banners with slogans such as “deploy state security forces immediately”, “internally displaced persons must be returned to their respective houses immediately”, “reconstruct the burnt houses immediately”, “restore peace in Jiribam”, and “don’t play divide and rule policy in Manipur”.
The ongoing communal violence between the Kuki and Meitei communities has claimed 230 lives so far, including one Meitei resident from Jiribam district in Manipur.