Thousands of Manipuri protesters poured into the streets of Imphal on Thursday, chanting slogans and carrying placards as they once again vowed to continue fighting against the government’s move to reintroduce Citizenship (Amendment) Bill 2016 (CAB).

Even as security forces quickly moved in to prevent any untoward incident as witnessed before, hundreds of Imas (mothers) once again gathered outside the Ima Keithel, the ‘market of the mothers’ with placards and banners reading - “Withdraw CAB unconditionally”, “No CAB in Northeast”.

At least 5000 people are believed to have been part of the anti-bill protests today led by the Manipur People Against Citizenship Amendment Bill (MANPAC) – a conglomerate of over 84 civil society organizations in the state.

“We had people from different sections of the society – including women folk and children, and local clubs. In the main market, almost 5000 people gathered today, and at least 500 demonstrators were present every 2 km from the market square in all directions,” said Khuraijam Athiuba, Secretary Media, North-East Forum for Indigenous People (NEFIP).

Citizenship Amendment Bill protest in Manipur

The protesters have made their point – time and again. School and college children joined hands, forming a human chain to call for the withdrawal of Citizenship Bill.

“Almost all academic institutions extended their support. We had distributed placards to not less than 300 institutes in Manipur, and they spared an hour from 11 am to 12 noon by joining in the protest, and forming a human chain,” said Athiuba.

A delegation of protesting bodies led by MANPAC Convenor, Yumnamcha Dilipkumar, submitted a memorandum to the Chief Minister, which was accepted in his absence by the Secretary to the CM.

Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh and other state BJP leaders are currently camping in Delhi to consult the senior party leadership over differences that have been brewing for quite some time now.

School children form human chain chanting anti-CAB slogans

The NEFIP leadership is also trying to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the issue, having written a letter to the PM voicing their concerns and citing reasons for objection to the Bill.

At the fourth North East Democratic Alliance (NEDA) conclave held in Guwahati recently, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, while addressing the fears of the regional BJP allies, said that the proposed Citizenship Bill would not affect the special provisions for Northeastern states under Article 371, and would not be in conflict with the existing Inner Line Permit (ILP) system in certain states or the existing state laws that safeguard the cultural, linguistic and other rights of the northeastern people.

NEDA Convener Himanta Biswa Sarma earlier said that the government is having consultations with stakeholders at various levels, and that these discussions would have to be completed before the Bill is reintroduced in the next parliament session.

First Published:Oct 3, 2019 8:03 PM IST