New Delhi: The echoes of protests in Manipur were felt in Delhi, as hundreds of Kuki students gathered to express their anger and disappointment. They say they feel “betrayed” by three Kuki-Zo legislators who have chosen to join the state’s new government.
BJP MLAs Nemcha Kipgen, Ngursanglur Sanate and former Director General of Police LM Khaute joined Yumnam Khemchand Singh government triggering protests in hill districts.
On Friday, protestors burnt effigies of the MLAs in Churachandpur. The Kuki-Zo-Mahr community has decided to boycott the three legislators.
Kuki Students’ Organisation, after allegedly running around for 48 hours for permission to protest, were finally able to hold a sit-in demonstration in Delhi’s Jantar Mantar.
Students from the community who are pursuing their undergraduate degrees, masters degree, PHD scholars and more, held up posters—“We will not let anyone trivialize our sufferings”, “Popular government public betrayal”.
All the protesters had same demand “separate administration”
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‘So-called popular government’
Under the spring sun, students wore black shirts and dresses to send the message of mourning. The speakers on the stage spoke about the grief they have been through. They reminded the crowd about hundreds of deaths in the community, thousands of people displaced and women raped.
Gogou, the cousin of Kuki-Zo woman, who died two years after she was raped, was also one of the speakers. The woman was under treatment in Guwahati.
He spoke about the grief he is carrying—of her sister’s death and the family’s suffering.
“Our family could not believe that this decision of Kuki-Zo MLAs to join the government came just a few days after my cousin’s death. My family feels betrayed and they want separate administration,” he said.
This sentiment was widely shared among the protesters, who rejected identification through surnames. They chose to be known as a single community “Kuki-Zo-Hmar”—standing united in opposition to the government.
Mercy, a PhD scholar from DU, who has been at the forefront of the protests in Delhi, spoke about the victims of the violence, who still want justice, and the displaced people, who still have not found homes. Most of them do not support the “so-called popular government”. It was imposed on them without hearing their demands.
“The government has walked over our blood, assuming that because we are a minority, our lives matter less. But being a minority does not mean we are not part of this nation,” she told ThePrint.
Bliss, an undergraduate student at LSR, spoke about the importance of choosing a government that genuinely works for the welfare of the community.
“When you sell your vote for money, you may gain something today, but tomorrow you could lose your home or even your life because you elected someone who does not care,” she said.
Exhausted but still going
Mercy and Bliss are tense about family back home. But all they can talk about are the never-ending protests and struggle to get their demands fulfilled.
“For 32 months, it has been exhausting just to stand here and speak. But our faith in the Constitution keeps us going,” said Mercy. She has seen her sister, who had to flee from her home while pregnant, suffer. “My sister still gets terrified if she hears any fireworks,” she said.
“What we are asking for is not charity. It is our constitutional right—a separate administration with unified territory, law, and order,” she raged.
Saturday’s protest was among the several protests that the community had organised in Delhi.
“We choose to protest in Delhi as our voices can be heard loud and clear, it is the centre,” said Chiin, one of the organisers of the protest.
The students gathered for the protests stood in frequent intervals to shout slogans—“UT with legislator”, “What is the only way–Separation” and “No justice, no government”.
The student ended the three hour sit-in protest with the national anthem and prayers.
(Edited by Theres Sudeep)