Manipur unrest: 'Around 700 people of Meitei community left Mizoram out of fear'

Aizawl/Imphal: Around 700 people belonging to the non-tribal Meitei community have left Mizoram out of fear after the issuance of an "advisory" by the Peace Accord MNF Returnees' Association (PAMRA) last week following the emergence of a viral video of two women being stripped and paraded by a mob in Manipur on May 4, an official said on Friday.

According to the police officials in Aizawl, the Meitei people left Mizoram by road through Assam, and by flight on their own arrangements.

Around 2,000 to 2,500 Meitei families from Manipur and Assam have been living in various places in Mizoram, including Aizawl, for many years and are engaged in various government and non–government work, studies, and business.

The Mizoram government earlier assured the Meitei people that it would provide adequate security to them and not to leave the state.

After the issuance of an "advisory" by the Peace Accord MNF Returnees' Association (PAMRA) last week, Meitei community people in Mizoram started leaving the state for Manipur.

The PAMRA, however, had clarified that they did not ask the Meitei people to leave Manipur but asked them to remain alert in view of the Manipur situation.

All Mizoram Manipuri Association (AMMA) vice president Rambir Singh said that most of the Meitei people are unwilling to stay in Mizoram as they felt "insecure" due to the recent protest rally in Mizoram by a conglomerate of major civil society organisations.

On Tuesday, NGO Coordination Committee, a conglomerate of five major civil society organisations, including the Central Young Mizo Association (CYMA), organised massive protest rallies in different parts of the state expressing solidarity with the Kuki-Zo ethnic community in Manipur.

Mizoram Chief Minister Zoramthanga, his deputy Tawnluia, ministers and legislators cutting across party lines also took part in the protest rally in Aizawl.

Police said that there have been no report of any untoward incidents since the solidarity march.

Last month, Manipur Chief Minister N. Biren Singh talked with his Mizoram counterpart, Zoramthanga, to provide security to the Meitei people in Mizoram and the latter assured Singh to provide adequate security to the Meitei people.

Meanwhile, so far, 12,584 displaced Chin-Kuki-Zo community people from Manipur have fled to Mizoram seeking safer places.

These displaced people are now living in various relief camps, rented houses, community centers and church complexes.