New Delhi: Thousands belonging to Meitei community held a protest at Jantar Mantar in the national capital on Sunday demanding protection from the members of the Kuki ethnic group.

The protestors alleged that the Kuki community attacked houses of Meiteis, forcing them to leave their territories. A list of demands of the protestors included safeguard against alleged Kuki militants, identification of illegal immigrants, stoppage of poppy cultivation in the state and ensuring Manipur’s territorial integrity.

The sit-in was held uner the banner of Manipur Coordination Committee, which is a group of civil society organisations and students’ groups where slogans like “Save Manipur” and “Kuki Terrorists Go Back” were hailed.

The organisation also accused the Assam Rifles to favour Kuki millitant groups to allow them to indulge in unlawful activities such as poppy cultivation and illegal immigration.

In a statement, the organisation said, “So far, nearly 1,800 families of 13 Meitei villages have been completely wiped out from Churachandpur district. Kuki militants selectively torched Meitei houses not once but thrice at Ingourok Chingmang at Leimakhong near the Leimakhong army camp. Strangely, the place where Meitei houses were burnt down repeatedly was guarded by Assam Rifles.”

Ekam Sanatan Bharat Dal supports the Meitei people of Manipur. On June 4, 2023, ESB supported a protest at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi for the Meitei hindus. The protest was organized in response to the recent violence in Manipur, which had left many people dead and injured.#ESB… pic.twitter.com/Nv1I2Ql8n9

— Ekam Sanatan Bharat (@Ekam4Sanatan) June 4, 2023

Meanwhile, leaders of the Kuki community refuted the claims asserting that the community is misunderstood because a few instances of poppy cultivation and illegal immigration were found.

They said that they lost faith in N Biren Singh government in the state.