Manipur: Kuki-Zo bodies hold rallies, demand separate administration
Kuki-Zo community on Saturday took out three rallies in parts of Manipur to press their demand for a separate administration and protested against the viral audio clips allegedly of Chief Minister N Biren Singh, in which certain objectionable comments were made. They organised the rallies at Leishang in Churachandpur district, Keithelmanbi in Kangpokpi and Moreh in Tengnoupal.
In Churachandpur, the protest rally started from the Anglo Kuki war gate at Leishang and culminated at Peace ground in Tuiboung, covering a distance of 6 km.
All markets and schools in the district remained closed in view of the rally organised by students belonging to the Kuki-Zo community.
Commissioner (Home) N Ashok Kumar urged people to keep business establishments and private institutions open in view of the rallies.
Hundreds of protesters participated in the rally which commenced from Keithelmanbi Military colony in Kangpokpi and they marched to Thomas ground in the district headquarters covering a distance of 8 km.
G Kipgen, a protestor in the Kangpokpi rally, said, «The demonstration is being held to press our demand for a union territory for the Kuki Zo people.»
«We also protest against the viral audio clips in which objectionable comments were made,» another protester said.
The Manipur government had said that the audio clips, falsely claiming to be the voice of the chief minister, were released on social media in an attempt to derail peace initiatives in the ethnic violence-affected state.
The government had claimed that the
