Editor's Pick: Meiteis forced to leave Mizoram as tensions rise

Meitei people living and working in Mizoram have started exiting the northeastern State following a diktat by an organisation of former extremists to leave “for their own safety”. On Friday, the Peace Accord MNF Returnees’ Association (PAMRA) issued a statement saying Mizoram was no longer safe for the Meiteis in view of the mounting tensions following the “barbaric and heinous acts committed by miscreants in Manipur”. The PAMRA’s statement was in reference to a video showing a mob parading two naked women in Manipur. According to a Manipur government estimate, there are about 2,000 Meiteis in Mizoram, including teachers at Mizoram University, and half of them are from Manipur. Mizoram’s Home Commissioner, H. Lalengmawia, held a meeting with the leaders of PAMRA on Saturday, seeking a clarification on the statement. “The PAMRA representatives said their statement was an advisory requesting the Meiteis living in Mizoram to exercise caution in the light of public sentiments regarding the ongoing conflict in Manipur and was not a diktat or a quit notice to the Meiteis,” a Mizoram government spokesperson said. The PAMRA representatives expressed regret that their statement was misconstrued and have assured not to do anything that would affect peace in the State, the spokesperson said. As per officials, 12,584 Chin-Kuki-Zo people from Manipur took refuge in Mizoram till Friday. Meanwhile, a zero first information report (FIR) was registered after an 18-year-old, who was abducted, assaulted and gang-raped in Imphal East in Manipur on May 15, approached the police on Friday. As per the FIR, the woman said that a group of women — whom she identified as Meira Paibis (women torchbearers), also known as ‘Mothers of Manipur’ — had handed her over to four armed men. The zero FIR was registered under various sections of assault, attempt to murder, abduction, gang-rape, and atrocities against Scheduled Tribes, against “unknown miscreants and Meira Paibis”. This is one of a number of cases of sexual violence that have been reported from the State since ethnic violence between the tribal Kuki and the majority Meitei communities erupted on May 3. The Hindu explains the reasons behind Manipur’s widespread unrest. The woman told police that four men abducted her to Wangkhei Ayangpali. “They started physically assaulting me. One of the blows on my face with the butt of the gun was so hard that I blacked out,” she said. She said that when she was conscious, three of the four men took turns to rape her. “While they were arguing on whether to let me go or kill me, one of them was trying to turn the car around and by accident, it hit me and I fell off the creek from that hilltop,” the FIR said. She said she landed on a road where she asked an autorickshaw driver for help. “ In another incident that has come to light, four women Ph.D. research scholars at the Manipur University campus in Imphal cowered in a toilet of their hostel building for six hours as an armed mob went about systematically locating students, staff and faculty from the Kuki-Zomi community on the intervening night of May 3 and 4. Another student who spoke with The Hindu recounted the terror she felt when she heard the mob going room to room in search of women from the Kuki community. The scholar said she fears stepping out of her room and is desperately trying to piece her life together. The Manipur University attack was among the six incidents flagged to the National Commission for Women by two activists and a United States-based civil society organisation. The Hindu’s Explainers Explained | What has to be done to get to Zero Hunger? Explained | Can the new data panel improve India’s statistics? Explained | Will G-20 agree on a Joint Communiqué? The Hindu’s Daily News Quiz Which of the following nations enacted an Online News Act last month to ensure fair compensation for publishers and local news? Indonesia Canada South Africa Australia To know the answer and to play the full quiz, click here. [logo] Editor's Pick 23 July 2023 [The Hindu logo] In the Editor's Pick newsletter, The Hindu explains why a story was important enough to be carried on the front page of today's edition of our newspaper. [Arrow]( [Open in browser]( [Mail icon]( [More newsletters]( Meiteis forced to leave Mizoram as tensions rise Meitei people [living and working in Mizoram have started exiting the northeastern State]( following a diktat by an organisation of former extremists to leave “for their own safety”. On Friday, the Peace Accord MNF Returnees’ Association (PAMRA) issued a statement saying Mizoram was no longer safe for the Meiteis in view of the mounting tensions following the “barbaric and heinous acts committed by miscreants in Manipur”. The PAMRA’s statement was in reference to a video[showing a mob parading two naked women in Manipur](. According to a Manipur government estimate, there are about 2,000 Meiteis in Mizoram, including teachers at Mizoram University, and half of them are from Manipur. Mizoram’s Home Commissioner, H. Lalengmawia, held a meeting with the leaders of PAMRA on Saturday, seeking a clarification on the statement. “The PAMRA representatives said their statement was an advisory requesting the Meiteis living in Mizoram to exercise caution in the light of public sentiments regarding the ongoing conflict in Manipur and was not a diktat or a quit notice to the Meiteis,” a Mizoram government spokesperson said. The PAMRA representatives expressed regret that their statement was misconstrued and have assured not to do anything that would affect peace in the State, the spokesperson said. As per officials, 12,584 Chin-Kuki-Zo people from Manipur took refuge in Mizoram till Friday. Meanwhile, a zero first information report (FIR) was registered after an [18-year-old, who was abducted, assaulted and gang-raped in Imphal East in Manipur on May 15]( approached the police on Friday. As per the FIR, the woman said that a group of women — whom she identified as Meira Paibis (women torchbearers), also known as ‘Mothers of Manipur’ — had handed her over to four armed men. The zero FIR was registered under various sections of assault, attempt to murder, abduction, gang-rape, and atrocities against Scheduled Tribes, against “unknown miscreants and Meira Paibis”. This is one of a number of cases of sexual violence that have been reported from the State since ethnic violence [between the tribal Kuki and the majority Meitei communities]( erupted on May 3. The Hindu explains the reasons [behind Manipur’s widespread unrest](. The woman told police that four men abducted her to Wangkhei Ayangpali. “They started physically assaulting me. One of the blows on my face with the butt of the gun was so hard that I blacked out,” she said. She said that when she was conscious, three of the four men took turns to rape her. “While they were arguing on whether to let me go or kill me, one of them was trying to turn the car around and by accident, it hit me and I fell off the creek from that hilltop,” the FIR said. She said she landed on a road where she asked an autorickshaw driver for help. “ In another incident that has come to light, four women Ph.D. research scholars at the Manipur University campus in Imphal cowered in a toilet of their hostel building for six hours as an [armed mob went about systematically locating students, staff and faculty from the Kuki-Zomi community]( on the intervening night of May 3 and 4. Another student who spoke with The Hindu recounted the terror she felt when she heard the mob going room to room in search of women from the Kuki community. The scholar said she fears stepping out of her room and is desperately trying to piece her life together. The Manipur University attack was among the [six incidents flagged to the National Commission for Women]( by two activists and a United States-based civil society organisation. The Hindu’s Explainers [Arrow][Explained | What has to be done to get to Zero Hunger?]( [Arrow][Explained | Can the new data panel improve India’s statistics?]( [Arrow][Explained | Will G-20 agree on a Joint Communiqué?]( The Hindu’s Daily News Quiz Which of the following nations enacted an Online News Act last month to ensure fair compensation for publishers and local news? - Indonesia - Canada - South Africa - Australia To know the answer and to play the full quiz, [click here](. 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