CHURACHANDPUR, 10 Aug: The Joint Students’ Body, comprising the Zomi Students’ Federation (ZSF), the Kuki Students’ Organisation and the Hmar Students’ Association, on Thursday organised a rally in Manipur’s Churachandpur town to observe 100 days of ethnic strife in the state.
Eyewitnesses said that the students expressed appreciation for the resistance put up by the village defence guards to prevent violence.
“The day was observed to pay tributes to the tribals who fought the attackers. The Kuki-Zo tribals will not rest till their demands are met and a separate administration formed,” a member of the ZSF said.
He said that the demand for separate administration dates back to the 1960s, and that the tribals “are not illegal immigrants as claimed by some politicians.”
The students’ body said that a one-minute silence was also observed as a mark of respect to the tribals who were killed in the ethnic strife.
On 27 July, the body had submitted a memorandum to Governor Anusuiya Uikey, seeking necessary measures for Kuki-Zomi University students affected by the ongoing violence in the state.
Alleging discrimination towards tribal students, the students’ body had appealed to the governor to intervene into the matter. (PTI)