National Federation of Indian Women (NFIW), on Saturday, September 16, submitted a memorandum to Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, seeking college admission for Manipuri students who suffered ethnic violence. The NFIW delegation, headed by General SecretaryAnnie Raja, gave a list of 70 female students belonging to the Kuki community, who had to flee from Manipur because of the violence.
“Respected Chief Minister, we are enclosing a list of seventy (70) girl students who had to flee from the conflict-ridden state of Manipur and were stationed in Delhi and Guwahati. The future of their education has become a big question mark. Therefore, we request you to kindly consider their case and help them by enrolling them in state-run, aided, and private institutions of Kerala,” the delegation said in their memorandum.
The northeastern state of Manipur has been witnessing unprecedented clashes, attacks, counter-attacks, and arsoning of houses, vehicles, and government and private properties in more than 10 districts since May 3. On May 3, the All Tribal Students' Union of Manipur (ATSUM) conducted a 'Tribal Solidarity March', opposing the demand for inclusion of the Meitei community in the Scheduled Tribe category, following which a massive ethnic clash broke out with several people being killed, sexually assaulted, and attacked.
Read: Explained: The many triggers behind the violence that erupted in parts of Manipur
Also Read: Manipur: A divided state pits one force against the other
Also Read: Manipur ground report: The role of vigilante groups on both sides of the conflict