Manipur transgender activist Malem Thongam goes on hunger strike in Delhi
New Delhi:
A transgender activist from Manipur, who has been fasting in Delhi for the last four days demanding an end to caste violence in the state, was taken to hospital on Monday after her condition deteriorated. After the check-up, she resumed her hunger strike at a gurudwara near Connaught Place in central Delhi, the civil society group she heads said in a statement on Monday.
Malem Thongam, head of Lamyamba Irabot Memorial Integrated Trust, started her fast on February 22. However, he was taken into custody along with the police and members of the civil society group Delhi Meitei Coordinating Committee (DMCC).
After being released, he continued his fast in front of the house of Manipur MP Rajkumar Ranjan Singh, from where he was again detained by the police.
The Puli Hills are one of the root causes of ethnic violence with the majority Kuki-Zo tribes.
Ms Thongam said, “We request Prime Minister Narendra Modi to come to Manipur and stop the violence. To bring peace and normalcy in the state, the Center and the Manipur government should end the Suspension of Operations (SoO) agreement with the Kuki-Zo rebels. should do.” Civil society groups and DMCC said in a statement on Monday.
Imphal-based rights activists have said authorities should talk to them as soon as possible and provide assurance, and pointed out how Manipur’s iconic activist Irom Sharmila did not eat for 16 years and had to be force-fed, drawing national attention. Attracted. A problem that should have been resolved long ago.
Every year, a Joint Monitoring Group (JMG) reviews the SOO agreement and decides whether to terminate or renew it. The next review is on 29 February. Broadly speaking, the SOO agreement states that rebels will live in designated camps and that their weapons will be kept in closed storage, so that they can be regularly monitored.
There have been allegations that full attendance has not been observed in many SOO camps.
More than two dozen Kuki-Zo rebel groups fall under two major groups – the Kuki National Organization (KNO) and the United People’s Front (UPF). Both of them have signed the SoO agreement representing others.
Ethnic violence has been ongoing in Manipur for nine months over disagreements over land, resources, political representation and affirmative action policies.
Both sides are accusing each other of atrocities. The Kuki-Zo tribes say their “village defense volunteers” are repelling attacks by armed groups from the valley, who come into the hills across the “buffer zone” with clear intentions. Both call themselves “Village Defense Volunteers”, this definition of belligerents has become the most controversial in Manipur as there is nothing stopping these “volunteers” from killing people under the insurance provided “in self defence”.
More than 180 people have been killed in the violence and thousands have been internally displaced.
