Churachandpur, August 19, 2023 (PPI-OT): Manipur’s Joint Students’ Body (JSB), today, staged a rally in Churachandpur in protest against Indian Home Minister Amit Shah’s statement in Parliament that the state’s present crisis was due to the influx of illegal immigrants from Myanmar. The JSB, which comprises the Zomi Students Federation (ZSF), Kuki Students Organisation (KSO) and Hmar Students Association (HSA) requested the home minister to clarify his stand.

Amit Shah had told the Parliament on August 9 that problems started in Manipur with the influx of Kuki refugees from neighbouring Myanmar after the military rulers there started a crackdown against militants in 2021. The Kuki refugees started settling down in the jungles in the Manipur valley, raising fears of a demographic change in the region, Amit Shah had said, adding that the unrest began when rumours started circulating that refugee settlements had been declared as villages.

The students’ body also expressed its unhappiness with the statement of India’s Solicitor General Tushar Mehta that most of the bodies lying at RIMS and JNIMS hospital morgues are of illegal immigrants. “This has been taken very seriously by the Kuki-Zo tribals and they demand the solicitor general to come up with valid proof,” the JSB said.

The protesters also said the filing of FIRs against Kuki-Zo tribal intellectuals and leaders is an attempt to silence their voices. The rally, which started from Lamka public ground and culminated at the Wall of Remembrance, passed through Tipaimukh Road, IB Road, and Tedim Road.

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