Manipur ethnic conflict completes 1st anniversary, ITLF calls for shutdown

Syllad | The Rising MeghalayaMay 2, 2024

As Manipur ethnic clashes marked the first anniversary on Friday (May 3), which left 230 people dead and more than 50 thousand families displaced, the Indigenous Tribal Leaders Forum (ITLF) announced a shutdown on Friday to protest against state-sponsored ethnic cleansing against the Kuki-Zo community.

“As part of this solemn occasion, we urge all members of the Kuki-Zo community to hoist a black flag on every household as a mark of remembrance and solidarity. Additionally, all business establishments, institutions, and market are requested to remain closed on this day as a sign of respect and homage to our fallen heroes,” an ITLF statement here said.

“The shutdown will commence from the early hours of May 3 and will continue throughout the day. We encourage everyone to participate wholeheartedly in this symbolic gesture to honour the sacrifices and struggles of our warriors,” the statement said.

“Let us come together as one community to reflect on our journey, reaffirm our oneness, and strengthen our resolve towards a brighter future for the Kuki-Zo people,” it added.

Meanwhile, Kuki Students’ Organisation Delhi & NCR has also organized a formal programme on the theme “Justice Delayed is Justice Denied” at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi to commemorate the day 

“We solicit each of you to join hands in this campaign, and take a stance against the perpetrators whose ultimate objective is to annihilate the Kuki-Zo from their ancestral homeland,” the student body stated in a press release here.