Security beefed up in Manipur as Kuki-Zo women block Meitei pilgrimage route in Churachandpur
The protest was called by six Kuki-Zo civil society organisations, including the Kuki Students’ Organisation and the Kuki Women’s Union, jointly appealed to the Meitei community to avoid entering Thangjing Hills for the Ching Kaba ritual
Guwahati: The security was intensified across the trouble-torn Manipur with hundreds of Kuki-Zo women staging sit-in protests across buffer zones of Churachandpur opposing Meitei pilgrims towards the sacred Thangjing Hills for the annual Cheiraoba festival.
Tension mounted further on Monday after a large number of Meiteis camped in Moirang to undertake their annual pilgrimage to the Thangjing foothills.
The main protest was held at New Zalenphai, with women lining the roads carrying placards and raising slogans. They demanded protection of the buffer zones and political recognition for the Kuki-Zo community. Similar demonstrations were also held in Gothol and Khousabung. The protesters said Meitei pilgrims should not be allowed to enter what they described as Kuki-Zo territory.
The protest was called by six Kuki-Zo civil society organisations, including the Kuki Students’ Organisation and the Kuki Women’s Union, jointly appealed to the Meitei community to avoid entering Thangjing Hills for the Ching Kaba ritual.
“There is speculation that the Meitei community intends to cross the buffer zone for Ching Kaba at Thangjing Hills,” the organisations said in a statement on April 9. “Unless and until the Government of India reaches a political settlement for the Kuki-Zo community under the Constitution, no such approach to Kuki-Zo land will be allowed,” the statement added.
The Civil Society Organisations also warned that any such attempt would be treated as a direct threat. “Any attempt to cross into the buffer zone will be treated as provocation, and the responsibility for any unrest will lie with the Meitei community,” the statement said. They urged both communities to maintain the status quo to avoid escalation of the ongoing ethnic tensions.
The Meitei Heritage Society in its response also condemned the statement by Kuki-Zo CSOs, terming it “unconstitutional and provocative.” The group appealed to both the Centre and the state government to take immediate steps.
“Since ancient times, the Meiteis have gone on an annual pilgrimage to the hilltop shrine of Ibudhou Thangjing, the guardian deity of the mountains,” the Meitei group said. “This illegal obstruction is akin to stopping Hindus from reaching Kailash Parbat or Muslims from going to Mecca. It violates fundamental rights, including freedom of movement and religious practice,” it said.
The Meitei community celebrates Cheiraoba, the lunar new year, with a ritual climb to Thangjing Ching. The pilgrimage is a central part of the festival, which falls on the first day of the Shajibu month in April.
The Kuki-Zo tribes, who refer to the same range as Thangting, claim the area as part of Churachandpur district, located around 40 km from Moirang town in the valley.
Security sources said that to prevent any untoward incident, security deployment was increased in Kwakta and Phougakchai Ikhai in Bishnupur district.
