COCOMI rolls up sleeves ahead of Jan 31 rally

By Our Staff Reporter
IMPHAL, Jan 20: The Coordinating Committee on Manipur Integrity (COCOMI) is gearing up for an all-community rally on January 31.
The rally with the slogan to protect and safeguard Manipur will start from THAU Ground at Thang-meiband from 11 am, and cover various parts of Imphal before culminating with a public meeting at Khuman Lampak.
Speaking to media persons at its office at Lamphelpat today, convenor YK Dhiren said the proposed rally aims to put pressure on the Govt to protect Manipur and bring about normalcy, and foster peaceful coexistence of all communities.
He blamed the Government of India for the protracted crisis, and said its policies have divided the communities.
There is unrest in the State since May 3, 2023, yet the Government of India is intentionally trying to bury the crisis without any effort to resolve it, Dhiren said.
He accused the Government of India of using Chin-Kuki narco-terrorists as proxy to wage war against the indigenous people of the State.
To resolve the crisis facing Manipur and protect the State's integrity, people must raise their voice against the Government of India's policies. The people must call on the Government to end its flawed policies that have sown conflict, Dhiren said.
He said the January 31 all-community rally aims to register people's protest against the Government's policies, and build unity among the communities to safeguard and protect Manipur.
The rally will raise slogans and urge the Government of India to stop using Chin-Kuki narco-terrorists as proxies. The rally will urge the Government to facilitate return of the internally displaced persons (IDPs) to their homes and allow free movement on the Highways, he added.
Not a single force must undermine or disrupt peaceful coexistence of the communities in Manipur. The proposed rally will serve as a strong reminder of this to the Government, Dhiren said.
It is the responsibility of every individual in Manipur to raise their concerns and grievances against the Government, and work toward fostering peaceful coexistence and bringing about normalcy, Dhiren said, appealing to members of all communities and organisations to participate in the January 31 rally.
He appealed to the people to stop their work for the day to participate in the rally, and urged the transporters to extend their assistance and arrange vehicles for transportation of the people on the day.