IMPHAL, Nov 11: Thadou Community International (TCI) vehemently condemned the killing of a woman farmer, namely Sapam Ongbi Sonia Devi, belonging to Meitei community, at Saitol village in Bishnupur district of Manipur on Saturday, November 9, 2024 by suspected Kuki armed militants.
In a statement on Sunday, TCI said, “It is very unfortunate to witness fresh violence in Manipur after a period of lull for the last few months”. TCI said the most recent killing at Saiton happened a couple of days after the attack on Zairon Hmar village in Jiribam on November 7, where a woman named Sangkim, was killed by suspected Meitei militants.
TCI statement then said it would like to see justice in both cases and greater concerted efforts by both Central and State government authorities to prevent similar incidents, otherwise the situation could get out of control leading to large-scale violence throughout the state again. TCI also said this fresh violence signaled the need for more and all out collaborative efforts by government authorities, community leaders and the general public from all affected communities to work together for lasting peace.
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“It is a matter of shame for our nation, India, that this violence in Manipur is continuing at the cost of innocent victims and India as a nation. It is most unfortunate that the tiny state of Manipur, with a total population of about 30 lakhs, was yet to recover from several ethnic violence in the past during the 1990s between different groups, when the current violence broke out on May 3, 2023 in areas adjoining Churachandpur and Bishnupur districts,” TCI added.
According to TCI, as a multi-ethnic society, people of Manipur, irrespective of communities, must realize the futility of violence and “raise our voice” and join hands together against the violence, otherwise the future is bleak for everyone. Blaming one another and trying to garner support of someone else or some other groups against each other, but without a solution, will not do any good for us now and the future generations, it also stated.
“We cannot, and should not, expect or wait for others to bring peace for us while allowing the violence to continue, bringing more and more harm to our own society, our own people. Nobody loses but only us, people of Manipur as a society,” TCI added.
The statement also said that “we all must ask ourselves if this is the kind of legacy we want to leave for our future generations”. TCI further said there is no society where there is no disagreements or conflict of interests, but a society progresses and thrives well where members of the society resolve conflicts without resorting to violence and learn to live with each other peacefully with a sense of respect, understanding and common sense for common good.
The statement then said, “With courage, wisdom and vision, let us all stand up and say enough is enough to violence and killing, and let peace reign once again in our society”. (NNN)
