Imphal: Thousands of people across Manipur’s five valley districts took to the streets on Friday evening, staging a “sound protest” against continued killings, the government’s alleged failure to restore normalcy and the prolonged ethnic conflict in the state.
The protesters accused the government of failing to resolve the ethnic crisis and address a range of demands raised by sections of the public, including the implementation of the National Register of Citizens (NRC), identification of illegal immigrants and abrogation of the Suspension of Operations (SoO) agreement with armed groups. In Imphal, protesters marched towards Kangla, the historic seat of political and cultural authority of the erstwhile kingdom of Manipur. The heritage complex is located close to Lok Bhavan and the Chief Minister’s Secretariat. The organisers sought to turn the coordinated noise into a collective expression of public anger, pressing the government to take decisive steps to restore peace and address their demands.
The protest was organised in response to a call issued by the Federation of Haomee, a civil society organisation, urging people to make noise simultaneously for 30 minutes to convey public resentment over the continuing violence and the government’s handling of the crisis.
