Meiteis should not dictate terms on Meiteis : CSOs

By Our Staff Reporter
IMPHAL, Sep 29: Several civil society organisations have come out strongly against acts of  imposing one terms and whims with brute force and threats which may create divisions and conflicts within the Meitei community at a time when Chin-Kuki narco-terrorists have been waging a sustained war against the Meitei community.
Several CSOs including HERICOUN, DESAM, UKAL, User Manipur, KEDO, WASDEV, AMS-GO, WAMA, MEELAL, WUM, LSTK, KIMACS, LOUSAL and TIPS held a press meet at DESAM head office, Kwakeithel today.
Speaking on behalf of the 14 CSOs, Women’s Association for Social Develop- ment president RK Tharaksana Leima lamented that some Meitei individuals/groups have been creating divisions and conflicts within the Meitei community at a time when the community has been facing a premeditated aggression from Chin-Kuki narco-terrorists.
Noting that such intra-community conflicts have weakened the Meitei community, she appealed to all concerned to put an end to all acts of imposing one’s terms and whims forcibly.
She said, it is a matter of grave concern that one Jos Chongtham was forced to clarify in front of camera for a text and an image he shared on the WhatsApp group “Be the Change-We Support Oja Bimol”.
No CSO or group of individual must take recourse to such acts of threatening or using force on the people. Members of Meitei Leepun must desist from such acts in future, she said.  
No one should indulge in such politics of abducting, assaulting and forcing people to make statements in front of camera in the line chosen by them, Tharaksana said.
There is no guarantee that Meitei Leepun members may not be subjected to similar treatment and forced to make clarifications in front of camera by some other people, she added.
The Government must also check all such acts of human rights violation and mob violence like abduction, vandalising one’s home and threatening family members, she continued.
If the Government chooses to watch silently all such acts of violence and people being threatened, it will evoke a serious question whether the Government has a hand in the efforts to  create divisions within the community, Tharaksana said.
The restrictions imposed by the Meitei Leepun upon some CSO leaders who have been working for the people over the years by taking undue advantage of  any lapse on the part of the  CSO leaders is demoralising to all social activists, she said.
Any attempt to lead the Manipuri society into darkness by curtailing the rights of intellectuals, academicians and social activists and silencing them is simply unacceptable, she added.