Manipur: Kuki-Zos hold major sit-in-protest demanding restoration of peace in Moreh

Thousands of people from the Kuki-Zo community across the Indo-Myanmar border town of Moreh in Manipur, including students, staged a major sit-in-protest while demanding restoration of peace in the region.

The protest jointly organized by the Kuki Students' Organization, Moreh Block, and Kuki Women Union and Human Rights Moreh, was also joined by the Moreh Private Schools Association, Kuki Inpi Tengnoupal, and Hill Tribal Council Moreh.

The protest condemned the alleged deliberate attempt to destroy educational institutions by burning down three high schools in the border town, the alleged disregard and disrespect towards the future of the children of Moreh and its surrounding trampling the student's rights to education, and the alleged delay tactics regarding removal of Manipur police commandos from Tengnoupal district despite the strong appeal from the people of the district.

The Sit-in-Protest was held at Moreh Bazar today from 9:00 am in the morning.

The protestors chanted slogans, "We want normalcy in Moreh", "Pu Modi open our Schools", "Pu Union Home Minister fulfill our Memorandum", "Yes to School", etc.

Meanwhile, the memorandum signed jointly by KSO Moreh Block, Kuki Women Union and Human Rights Moreh, and Moreh Private Schools Association was submitted to the Union Home Minister Amit Shah through Deputy Commissioner Tengnoupal while demanding for restoration of normal public life in Moreh border town.

It also apprised the Union Home Minister as to why the Kuki-Zo people, especially in Moreh keep demanding for removal of the Manipur State Police Commando from Moreh border town.

It stated that the atrocities ranging from extortion, harassment, torture, and killing of innocent civilians to arson perpetrated by armed miscreants continue unabated with the result that the cosmopolitan population of Moreh border town lives under constant threat and fear. 

It also recalled that five innocent civilians belonging to the Kuki-Zo who bore the brunt of the brutality of armed miscreants are still lying critically between life and death in a hospital in Churachandpur.

It also recalled that on January 2024, around 1:30 PM, armed miscreants took to arson and burnt down three private school buildings and fourteen civilian houses while firing indiscriminately at Canan veng and Phaicham veng localities in Moreh. 

While the escalating ethnic animosity disturbs normal life everywhere, the reign of terror unleashed every now and then by the armed miscreants in Moreh has made impossible the functioning of schools in this border town, the memoradum stated.

"Children in Moreh have been deprived of their education since 2023. The future of our children, the future pillar of the nation is at stake. The present situation and arrangements here do not show any sign of improvement which could pave the way for a restoration of normal public life to enable the functioning of schools and children to avail of education," it added.

It also stated that deployment of additional central security forces may help restore normalcy to some extent but the most effective restoration lies in the complete withdrawal of the Manipur State Police Commando.

"We are holding a Sit in Protest to demand the complete withdrawal of the Manipur State Police Commandos, the main obstacle in the restoration of normalcy in Moreh border town with an earnest appeal to the mighty Union Government of India through your good office to ensure the return of normal public life in Moreh border town", the joint memorandum stated. 

Meanwhile, Anthony Tongmang Mate, Secretary of the Moreh Private Schools Association (MOPSA) said that they are deeply in pain to see how the children and students are deprived of education in Moreh, while highlighting that hardly only five months of schooling were enjoyed last year by the students.

He recalled that so many appeals had been made by various civil society organizations of Moreh so that school could function properly but to date, people could not enjoy such regular schooling.

"It seems Moreh is bearing most of the brunt of the conflict", he said.

He also pointed out that not only in the education sector, but no help from the state government is reaching Moreh, no business can be carried out, people are living hand to mouth in the border town.

Mate further said that since the burning down of schools in Moreh, with such fear in mind how can education be carried on while adding that parents are reluctant to send their children to schools, and even admission cannot be opened.

"The future of Moreh students is very dim and we can't say anything about it", he added.

The MOPSA General Secretary urged the authorities concerned to restore all the schools that were burned down so that the academic session 2024 can start on time.

"Help our children go back to school", said Mate.