The United Naga Council (UNC) has announced a 12-hour “total shutdown in all the Naga areas in the state of Manipur” from 6 am to 6 pm on Monday, July 17, in connection with the killing of a Naga woman in Imphal.
“In the event of not fulfilling our demands within 48 hours, further course of action will be initiated,” the UNC stated.
In a statement made available to the Newmai News Network, the UNC put up various demands in connection with the killing of one Lucy Marem, a Maring Naga.
According to the UNC, the Naga body is aghast to learn the “cold blooded murder of Lucy Marem, daughter of Thoukhal Marem of Narum (Beaulahram) village, Pallel, Chandel district in the evening of July 15, 2023 at Sawombung (Ukhrul road), Imphal East district allegedly by the Meiteis’ Arambai Tenggol”.
The UNC alleged she was forcefully apprehended by the meira paibis (women torch bearers) and handed over to the above mentioned Arambai Tenggol, the newly formed “private militia known for their notoriety during the present conflict in Manipur”.
The Naga body added, “It is unimaginable for a women organization like meira paibis who profess to be torch bearers of peace partaking in acts of killings”.
The UNC then said, it condemned “such barbaric acts committed on innocent Nagas despite knowing her identity as Naga”.
Since the beginning of this unfortunate conflict between the Meiteis and the Kukis the Nagas have maintained that peace must prevail and have lent “our might toward this end”, it also said.
“Vested interest parties who wish to drag us into this conflict will not be spared and our patience and accommodating acts of the recent past should not be taken as a sign of weakness by all concerned who have provoked us, destroying our properties, torturing and humiliating us during the present conflict at different places and times,” the UNC also said.
The UNC then said it “seriously views” this incident and demanded the state government must immediately constitute a judiciary inquiry committee and arrest those perpetrators of the crime (including those meira paibis who are complicit in the act of crime), and exemplary punishment should be initiated upon the culprits.
The UNC also demanded that cold blooded killing of “Naga sister Lucy Maring must be brought in the limelight of justice befittingly as per the Naga customary law”.
The UNC also demanded that the Meitei civil society organizations will be equally held responsible for this “despicable act hence their role and position must be made known to all concerned”.
The Naga body then said, “As a mark of our resentment for the brutal murder and tribute to innocent victim Lucy Marem, a 12-hour total shutdown will be observed in all the Naga areas in the state of Manipur” from 6 am to 6 pm. on Monday July 17, 2023. In the event of not fulfilling our demands within 48 hours, further course of action will be initiated”.
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