After the killing of her Meitei partner, Chingnu Haokip has been isolated by both sides of Manipur’s ethnic divide. ‘The town is full of informers. You can’t trust anyone,’ said an activist.
At D. Phailien camp in Churachandpur, displaced Kukis still await relief. They say not much has changed with change in administration, call for separate identity for hill areas.
Rishikanta had been living with his partner, a Kuki woman, for the past month. He was abducted & killed last week. His family’s demands included transferring the case to NIA.
In Kaching, dozens of women sit beneath a tree, wearing white shawls with posters that read: ‘Punish Kuki terrorists’, ‘we condemn killing of Rishikanta’.
She was 18 when she was gangraped & battered during 2023 Manipur conflict. Not a single arrest so far, and CBI yet to file a chargesheet. Churachandpur gathers for candlelight vigils.
In an interview with ThePrint, Lok Sabha MP Angomcha Bimol Akoijam said people expect nothing but a genuine apology from the PM for his government’s failure to protect its own people.
Pact was first signed on 22 August 2008 between Centre, Manipur govt & insurgent groups to end hostilities. But it was not renewed after ethnic violence erupted in May 2023.
Since the region beyond NJ 9842 did not have any military presence and had not seen any action neither side contemplated that it would become a bone of contention in the future.
We now live in a world order that will keep shifting. India must use this window. This also means we remain disciplined enough not to be knee-jerked into reacting to what Pakistan sees as its moment in the sun.
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