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Manipur clashes: Meiteis flee Mizoram, a day after ‘advisory’ from ex-militants

ByEzrela Dalidia Fanai
Jul 23, 2023 12:41 AM IST

At least 69 Meiteis living in Mizoram were on board the flight to Imphal from Lengpui Airport in Aizawl on Saturday, an airport official said

AIZAWL: Several members of the Meitei community from Manipur living in neighbouring Mizoram left for their ethnic strife-torn home state on Saturday, a day after a Mizo organisation of former militants asked them to leave for their “own safety” citing “anger among Mizo youths” following the viral video of two women being paraded naked and sexually assaulted by a mob.

Women's wing of the Indigenous Tribal Leaders' Forum (ITLF) stage a protest near the 'Wall of Remembrance' erected to honor lives lost during the ongoing ethnic clashes in the state, in Churachandpur on Saturday.
Women's wing of the Indigenous Tribal Leaders' Forum (ITLF) stage a protest near the 'Wall of Remembrance' erected to honor lives lost during the ongoing ethnic clashes in the state, in Churachandpur on Saturday.

At least 69 Meiteis were on board the flight to Imphal from Lengpui Airport in Aizawl on Saturday, an airport official said, requesting anonymity. “Flights to Imphal for the next few days are also fully booked,” the official added.

The Manipur government has also issued directions to arrange for a special flight from Lengpui airport to Imphal on Sunday to evacuate members of the Meitei community out of Mizoram, officials said.

Several people were also seen taking buses to Manipur on Saturday, officials added.

In a statement on Friday, Peace Accord MNF Returnees’ Association (PAMRA) — a non-political organisation of former Mizo National Front (MNF) militants — asked Meiteis living in Mizoram to exercise “caution” in the light of public sentiments regarding the ongoing ethnic violence in Manipur which has claimed at least 150 lives and displaced another 40,000 since May 3.

“The situation in Mizoram has become tense and it is no longer safe for Meitei people from Manipur to live in Mizoram in the wake of barbaric and heinous acts committed by miscreants in Manipur,” PAMRA said in the statement. “The PAMRA appeals to all Meitei people in Mizoram to leave for their home state as a safety measure.”

The statement came two days after a video surfaced on social media, reportedly shot on May 4, showing two women being paraded naked and molested by a mob in Manipur. The viral video has created a nationwide uproar, and the Manipur police have arrested five people and detained a minor in connection with the incident so far.

On Saturday, Mizoram home commissioner H Lalengmawia held a meeting with PAMRA representatives, who clarified that the statement issued by them was an advisory and not a diktat to Meiteis from Manipur living in the state.

The home commissioner also met representatives of All Mizoram Manipuri Association, assuring them of their safety and asking them not be misguided by rumors. He also asked the association to inform fellow Meiteis from Manipur who work or study in Mizoram not to leave the state due to the unfortunate misinterpretation of the press statement, an official familiar with the matter said.

The Mizoram government also clarified to the association that no incident of violence or untoward incident against Meiteis from Manipur living in the state has been reported till date, the official added, also declining to be named.

At least 150 people have been killed and nearly 40,000 displaced in Manipur since May 3, when ethnic violence erupted in the northeastern state between numerically dominant Meitei community — which forms 53% of the state population — and tribal Kukis, who live primarily in the hill districts.

Violent clashes broke out after a ‘Tribal Solidarity March’ was organised in the hill districts on May 3 to protest against the Meitei community’s demand for Scheduled Tribe (ST) status.

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