Those gathered held up banners and shouted slogans criticising the Union government for mishandling the situation in Manipur.
Hundreds of citizens, activists and students gathered at Town Hall in Bengaluru on Friday, July 21, to express solidarity with the survivors of the ethnic violence in Manipur state. Those gathered held up banners and shouted slogans criticising the Union government for mishandling the situation in Manipur, which has been gripped by ethnic violence between the majority Meitei group and the tribal Kuki minority since May. Reports from the ground detail chilling accounts of shootings, looting and sexual assault.
Speaking at the gathering, Diana Khumbongmayum, a migrant from Manipur staying in Bengaluru, said, "I come here in solidarity, and I condemn the violence. I belong to the Meitei community in Manipur. It is indefensible what has happened. The arms which have been floating around should be seized, and the violence needs to stop." She added that there is also a need for journalists and activists to work in Manipur to ensure that the stories of the violence are documented.
Her views were echoed by journalist and writer Laxmi Murthy, who said, "Civil society is the only bulwark left against the stand of lawlessness. For more than two months, civil society groups have been restricted from travelling and working out of Manipur. The media has not been allowed to move around freely, and the internet is shut down. So it's up to civil society to demand accountability and justice. It is clear that systems have failed.""The silence from the administration cannot be read as only silence but should be read as complicity. It has allowed the violence to happen and it is almost impossible to believe they did not know this had happened until the video came out. It is all the more reason to call it a failed state since few reports had already become public," Laxmi Murthy added.
SG Siddaramaiah, writer and former chairperson of the Kannada Development Authority, questioned why the Union government was silent over the violence in Manipur for over two months. "Those who are silent are anti-national because it is clear that our democratic institutions have weakened and there is no empathy or humanity in the leadership," he said.
Akkai Padmashali, Congress leader and transgender and sexual minorities rights activist was also present at the gathering though there were no other political representatives. The gathering was organised by Bahutva Karnataka, a civil society collective committed to justice and harmony. It was held on the steps of Town Hall, which was earlier the site of protests in Bengaluru until the previous BJP-led state government restricted protests to Freedom Park in the city.