Holding aloft placards that read ‘Punish those involved in the murder of Children,’ ‘Stop illegal immigrants,’ ‘Safeguard indigenous communities of Manipur,’ ‘Suspense of Government is complicity,’ ‘Stop Narco Terrorism’ and ‘Protect Meitei Civilians,’ members of the Manipuri Elders’ Consortium Shillong (MECS) on Saturday staged a silent sit-in protest in Shillong, invoking grief, anger and a renewed demand for accountability following the killing of two children in Manipur’s Tronglaobi area earlier this month.
The demonstration, marked by white attire symbolising mourning and solidarity, was organised in remembrance of innocent lives lost in the recent incident and to express support for the injured mother and others affected by the continuing violence. The gathering underscored a deepening concern among the Manipuri diaspora over the prolonged conflict, even as participants stressed the need for unity, justice and a collective assertion for peace and humanity.
Participants sat in silence, their placards speaking the anguish of a community that continues to grapple with loss and displacement. The protest comes at a time when Manipur approaches three years of ethnic strife, with intermittent violence punctuating an otherwise uneasy calm, and questions mounting over the pace and effectiveness of governmental intervention.
MECS president TS Leima, addressing the gathering, said, “Today we are organizing this silent sit in protest against the two innocent lives that have been killed in Manipur in Tronglaobi area on 7th April where two innocent children were killed, So standing in solitary to the victims of the family and to condemn the crime committed, We as organizing the situation in protest.”
Calling for decisive intervention, she added, “Three years of Manipur violence, what solution should be is all in the government ‘s hand. For us what we want peace, efforts should be made from both the sides that some agreed points we agree. We as common people we cannot take action from our side, So what we say is that the people in the power, the people in bureaucracy should take action swift action. So they should sit together, have talks and then come think of ways to end to this violence that has been happening for the last three years.”
Asked how do you see the overall violence in Manipur, she said, “I would say that for the last few months, uneasy calm was there but we would not say that normalcy has return but the the incidences have decrease quiet significantly, that has reduced quiet significantly. But normalcy has never come, because till now we cannot, the people in the valleys, the Meitei still cannot go by road, so unless and until we can go by road, we cannot say that normalcy has returned. But the internally displaced people are still in their camps, they are not able to yet return to their own homes, so the situation is still far from Normalcy but the attacks, the incidences have significantly have reduced, until this very sad attack on Manipuri family has happened.”
The protest concluded with a silent reaffirmation of the demand for peace, as participants stressed that justice for the victims and sustained dialogue remain central to restoring normalcy in Manipur.
