Olympic medalist Mirabai Chanu, Sarita Devi threaten to return honours if violence continues in Manipur
Olympic medalist Mirabai Chanu, Sarita Devi threaten to return honours if violence continues in Manipur
Olympic medalist Mirabai Chanu, world boxing champion Laishram Sarita Devi and 11 others have written a memorandum to Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday, May 30 to intervene and stop the ongoing violence in Manipur. The state in northeast India, with the city of Imphal as its capital, has been impacted by severe riots in the last few weeks. To stop the violence 13 athletes have now come forward as they threaten to return their government-awarded honours and also the medals they have earned for the nation for peace.
Athletes meet Amit Shah
The panel of athletes consisted of L Anita Chanu, weightlifter N Kunjarani Devi, boxer Sarita Devi, footballer Oinam Bembem, Olympian Ngangbam Soniya Chanu, and Wushu athlete M Bimoljit, who submitted a memorandum to Shah during his visit to the Imphal Raj Bhavan on Tuesday, 30 May.
The request particularly highlighted the issues faced by the state where the central government has acted and employed a big security force to enable peace.
"We don't want to fight. We just want peace to return to Manipur. Right now, it is a fight between the Kuki militants and Meiteis," boxer Sarita Devi said.
"Every day Meiteis are being killed, their houses are being burnt down, and children have lost their parents. The Centre has said that it has deployed about 40,000 forces in the state, but they are nowhere to be seen.
"The forces cite the Suspension of Operations (SoO) as the reason behind not being able to take any action against the militants. It has been a month since Manipur is burning,” the memorandum added.
ALSO READ |From T20 World Cup 2007 to IPL 2023 triumph: Listing Captain Cool MS Dhoni's nine T20 trophies
What is the reason behind the Manipur riots?
The violence in Manipur started on Wednesday, May 3 in Churachandpur's Torbung area where the All Tribal Students Union Manipur (ATSUM) took out the 'Tribal Solidarity March' to protest the demand for Meiteis for Scheduled Tribe (ST) status.
Meiteis account for about 53 per cent of Manipur's population and live mostly in the Imphal valley. Tribals -- Nagas and Kukis -- constitute another 40 per cent of the population and live mostly in the hill districts.
WATCH WION LIVE HERE
You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here.
