Manipuri women protest against proposed visit of Naga leader

Imphal, May 14 (ANI): Around 1,000 women staged a sit-in protest here on Thursday against the visit of National Socialist Council of Nagalim's (Isak-Muivah) leader, Thuingaleng Muivah, to the state.

The protest was carried out by the Advanced Women Society at the Awang Sekmai Bazaar in Imphal.

After the sit-in protest, the women took out a rally in Sekmai area shouting slogans against Muivah's visit.

"We are opposing Muivah's attempt to enter Manipur with an intention to destroy Manipur. We are expressing our anger. We have decided to close down all our business establishments and have stopped our daily errands as well. And so we have been staging today's sit-in protest," said Memcha Devi, a protestor.

The protestors also allege that Muivah's homecoming is only a ploy to cause communal crisis in the state.

"Even though he was born in Manipur, he has never spoken for Manipur and instead supports Nagaland. He has made Manipur suffer a lot," said Amubi Devi, secretary of Advanced Women Society.

Earlier, violent clashes between Muivah's supporters and security forces at the border town of Mao resulted in the death of two women protestors and left over 50 others injured.

The NSCN-IM had agreed to a ceasefire in August 1997 and launched a peace process with the Central Government to bring an end to the longest-running insurgency in India.

The rebel group has participated in several rounds of talks with central officials since the start of the ceasefire.

But talks between the two sides have not made progress over the rebels" main demand of unification and eventual independence of Naga-dominated areas in northeast India. (ANI)