Pressure mounts on Manipur government for release of six persons abducted during November 11 violence

Students in several parts of the State observe Black Children’s Day to protest the alleged abduction of children in Jiribam district. Youth organisations seek UN intervention.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Manipur joined the Congress in mounting pressure on the government for the safe return of six women and children missing since November 11, 2024.

State BJP president A. Sharda Devi appealed for the immediate release of the six missing persons – three women and three children, including a 10-month-old infant – from Jiribam district’s Borobekra area. They were allegedly abducted on a day when security forces killed 10 assailants in an encounter.

The Manipur Police said the slain men were Kuki ‘extremists’, but the Indigenous Tribal Leaders’ Forum said they were “village volunteers”.

“We demand the immediate release of the abducted six members of a family without any harm on humanitarian grounds,” Ms. Devi told journalists in Imphal.

On Wednesday (November 13, 2024), five Congress MLAs from Manipur, led by State party president K. Meghachandra, called on Governor Lakshman Prasad Acharya at the Raj Bhavan in Guwahati to press for the safe release of the six people. Mr. Acharya holds additional charge of Manipur.

“We demanded the Governor’s intervention in the safe release of the abducted women and children apart from urging him to help halt the violence and bring normalcy in Manipur,” Mr. Meghachandra said.

The political parties’ appeal followed a seven-day ultimatum served by various civil society organisations in the Meitei-dominated Imphal Valley to the government for decisive action to address the escalating conflict in the State.

These organisations threatened to withdraw support from the national political parties and initiate a mass movement against the political leaders if their demands were unmet.

U.N. moved

The Manipur International Youth Centre and Youth Collective Manipur have sought the intervention of the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Extrajudicial, Summary, or Arbitrary Executions to save the six missing civilians.

In a letter to the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, the two organisations documented the “abductions and widespread displacement of civilians” since the outbreak of the ethnic conflict between the Meitei and Kuki-Zo people in May 2023.

The organisations said Kuki extremists burned the houses of the Meitei people during the November 11 attacks, leading to the abduction of the six women and children. They said that the “hostage-taking” violates the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, and the Geneva Conventions.

They appealed to the UN for an “investigation into the incident, a public appeal for the immediate release of the hostages, and measures to hold the perpetrators accountable under international laws”.

‘Black’ Children’s Day

Students in several parts of Manipur held protests to mark November 14 as ‘Black Children’s Day’ and demanded the safe release of the six persons, specifically the three children. The Students’ Front of the Coordinating Committee on Manipur Integrity led the protests, condemning the State government for its failure to secure the release of the hostages.

The students gathered from 10.30 a.m. to 11.30 a.m., wearing black badges in silent protest, and in solidarity with the missing persons. They voiced their resentment over the government’s handling of security and demanded steps to rescue the hostages.

Some of the placards displayed by the students read, “No Children’s Day until the captured children are released” and “Mr. CM, we demand the release of the victims as a Children’s Day gift”.

In a statement, the front’s media coordinator, S. Bidyananda, criticised the “inaction” of the government and slammed it for failing to protect civilians amid continued threats and attacks by extremist groups.

Published - November 14, 2024 09:37 pm IST