SHILLONG, June 28: The North East Student’s Organisation (NESO) on Wednesday questioned the silence of the Centre on the prevailing situation in strife-torn Manipur, even as it appealed for peace and normalcy to be restored in the Northeastern state.
“It has not subsided…it is high time that peace should be restored in Manipur,” said NESO chairman Samuel Jyrwa on the sidelines of a candlelight vigil for peace in Manipur organised by the NESO and KSU at Khyndai Lad on Wednesday evening.
The NESO chairman said that despite the strong presence of armed forces that were deployed in Manipur, the violence has not stopped.
“This has raised a serious concern on the capability of the armed forces in maintaining peace in Manipur,” he said.
This candle light vigil is observed in all the state capitals of the Northeastern region including Tura and it is a clarion call for peace and to stop violent activities in Manipur, Jyrwa added.
Questioning the silence of the otherwise vocal Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the situation in Manipur, he said, “It is surprising and shocking that the Prime Minister, who is usually very active in commenting on any issues affecting the different states of the country, is silent till today even after nearly two months that this mayhem has occurred in Manipur”.
Jyrwa has urged the Prime Minister to raise a voice on the issue and take proactive measures to stop the violence and resolve issues arising out of the problem.
Echoing similar sentiments, the KSU, which is a constituent of the NESO, also appealed for peace and return of normalcy in the war-torn state.
The union pointed out that the law and order situation in Manipur is also affecting many students from Meghalaya pursuing their education in the neighbouring state.
“…why are the central leaders silent, especially the Prime Minister who has enough time to deliver a speech in the US but none for Manipur,” he added.
Talking about the people from Manipur fleeing to Meghalaya, he said, “…we have expressed to the government and met the Rangbah Shnongs and the government is duty bound to ensure that those who came from Manipur should return back to their state when the situation normalises”.
The candlelight vigil witnessed a decent participation from the student community.
