After a large number of Meiteis started fleeing from Mizoram, following an 'advisory' issued by an ex-militant organisation, the All Assam Manipuri Students' Union (AAMSU) issued a statement advising Mizos living in South Assam's Barak Valley districts to leave "for their own safety" - in a tit-for-tat move.
"As most of the Meiteis living in Mizoram are from Assam, the unruly behaviour of Mizoram has already escalated anger among the Meiteis of Assam. Therefore, for their own safety, we advise the Mizos living in Meitei areas of Barak Valley to vacate the area at the earliest time possible," the statement by AAMSU read. However, hours after issuing the order, the body issued a clarification saying that its advisory had been “misinterpreted”.
Assam Director General of Police (DGP) Gyanendra Pratap Singh took to Twitter to share the clarification issued by the Manipuri Student’s body. “As seen in some electronic medias and fb pages the recent press statement of AAMSU is misinterpreted as quit notice to Mizos from Barak Valley. AAMSU only advises the Mizo Missionaries in Meitei village to take precautions for their own safety as the act of Mizoram government has caused anger upon Manipuris in Assam. So far the Mizo missionaries have been living within the Meiteis as families and we shall continue to stay in harmony forever.”
Why are Meities fleeing Mizoram?
Members of the Meitei community began leaving Mizoram after an organisation of former insurgents 'advised' the community that they are no longer safe there.
The organisation, Peace Accord MNF Returnees’ Association (PAMRA), issued a statement saying that sentiments of Mizo people were "deeply hurt" by the violence against the Zo ethnic community in Manipur, and that it is no longer safe for Meitei people to continue living in Manipur, reported The Indian Express. The statement further urged the Metis in Mizoram to leave “for their own safety”.
However, a top state government official met community leaders to assure them of safety, according to the report. In a statement, Mizoram Police said senior police officers are working to ensure security for the people from Manipur. "Senior police officers and all police personnel on the ground are working diligently to ensure the safety and security of Manipuri people/Meitei in various parts of Mizoram," said Mizoram Police in a statement on Sunday. The Manipur government has also offered to charter flights to facilitate the return of Meitei community members wanting to leave Mizoram.
The developments came days after a horrific video emerged showing two tribal women being paraded naked by a mob in Manipur. More than 70 days after the incident, Manipur police made the first arrest on Thursday, July 20, a day after the 26-second video of the incident surfaced online, drawing widespread condemnation.
