Our Correspondent
IMPHAL, FEBRUARY 13
[dropcap]A[/dropcap] day after 19 hour curfew on trade activities of non-locals in Imphal, non-BJP and non-Congress political parties on Thursday staged a protest demonstration against the attack on Northeast students in Delhi.
Holding festoons which read ‘Stop violence on NE people’, ‘We condemn attack on NE people’ etc, the demonstration was held in the busy Imphal market.However police shorten their march cum demonstration and forced them to converge at the Irawat Bhavan in Imphal for a brief public meeting.Speaking during the meet, CPI state secretary and the common candidate for Non-BJP and Non-congress political parties in the state for the ensuing Lok Sabha polls Dr M Nara Singh said “We’re protesting the government’s failure to protect and safeguard the NE people in Delhi.”
The state and central governments should take the issue of seriously and enact a law against racism in order to protect the unity and integrity of the country.
Manipur unit leaders many non-congress,non-BJP parties including Communist Party of India Marxist Ksh Shanta and Janata Dal(U)state unit president M Tombi also shared their view on issues arising out of the attack on the NE people in the mainland and national capital in particular.
Sharing a similar sentiment Manipuri Association of North East India (MANEI) which has respective branches besides having a sizeable Manipuri population across 8 NE states also expressed serious concern over the “unfortunate and inhuman atrocity” against NE people in Delhi recently.
Stating that a combined team of MANEI and North East Students’ Organisation is planning to meet central leaders and narrate the problems of NE people next week, MANEI’s President P Sonamani Singh said, “We like to inform them (centre) that we’re not happy with the Delhi incidents. I think they should listen to our problems”.
Manipur based women’s body-Women Action for Development also condemns the killing, rape and assault on NE students in Delhi saying among the five victims reported, four are from Manipur.
“It is very unfortunate that the Child rights protection agencies and child activists have not put it into account,” says WAD secretary Sobita Mangsatabam in a press release in Imphal.
