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Journalism of Courage
Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh was expected to meet the state’s Governor Anusuiya Uikey on Friday afternoon (June 30) amid speculations that he will be resigning from his post. Hundreds of women gathered near Singh’s residence in Imphal and formed a human chain, saying that they did not want him to resign.
“All the mothers of Manipur are gathering here because they are not happy with the CM’s decision. As a son of the soil, he should take responsibility and protect the people. If he resigns, President’s Rule will be inevitable, which is not acceptable, ” said Sarojini Leima, one of the women gathered there.
The visible presence of women at protests is a phenomenon that is often witnessed in the state. In an earlier video posted on Twitter on Monday (June 26), the Spear Corps of the Indian Army had accused women activists in Manipur of “deliberately blocking routes and interfering in Operations of Security Forces” as the state struggled to contain the weekslong waves of rioting and unrest.
Since the beginning of May, violence has erupted mainly between the valley-dwelling majority Meiteis and hills-dwelling Kuki-Zomi groups after the old Meitei demand for inclusion in the list of Scheduled Tribes (STs) escalated dramatically.
The Army video, which contained clips from Imphal East district, said women protesters were “helping rioters flee”, including “accompanying armed rioters” in their vehicles, and using even ambulances. It showed day- and night-time clips of groups of women protesters on the streets, confronting the security forces, and interfering in the “movement of logistics”.
The video said “entry/exit route to Assam Rifles base” had been “dug up to cause delay”, and warned that “blocking movement of security forces is not only unlawful but also detrimental to their efforts towards restoring law and order”.
The videos do not identify the women they show, but civil society action in Manipur has long had a significant presence of activist women. The most visible organised face of such actions have been the Meira Paibis or “women torch bearers”, so called because of the flaming torches that they hold aloft while marching in the streets, often at night.
The Meira Paibis, also known as Imas or Mothers of Manipur, are Meitei women who come from all sections of society in the Imphal valley, are widely respected, and represent a powerful moral force. The Meira Paibis are loosely organised, usually led by groups of senior women, but have no rigid hierarchy or structure, or any overt political leanings.
They may become more visible during certain times, but their presence and importance in Manipuri civil society are permanent and palpable, and their role as society’s conscience keepers is widely acknowledged.
During his recent visit to Manipur as violence raged in the state, Home Minister Amit Shah met with the Meira Paibis as part of his meetings with various civil society groups.
“The Meira Paibi was formed in 1977. One of the largest grassroots movements in the world, its initial focus of fighting alcoholism and drug abuse has now expanded to countering human rights violations and the development of society at large,” Lt Gen D S Hooda, former Northern Army Commander, had written in The Indian Express earlier.
Over the decades, the Meira Paibis have led numerous social and political movements in the state, including some powerful protests against alleged atrocities by Indian security forces, leveraging their strong position in society in the interest of the causes they have espoused.
What are some of the major actions undertaken by these women?
* The Meira Paibi women were the active support base of Irom Sharmila, the activist who remained on a hunger strike in the state from 2000 to 2016 to protest against the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA), which gives the armed forces immunity against action in “disturbed” areas. Protesters such as Sharmila have long criticised the Act as a vehicle for overreach by the state.
* In 2015, the state saw tensions over demands for the Inner Line Permit (ILP) system to be introduced there, requiring outsiders to obtain a permit to enter. Protesters contended that this was necessary in order to protect local interests, culture, and commercial opportunities available to them. The Meira Paibis played an active role to ensure bandhs and shutdown calls in the markets.
* Two years later, the Meira Paibis were part of a bandh called in the Thangmeiband Assembly constituency in Manipur after the first BJP-led government came to power. After first-time MLA Heikham Dingo Singh was accused of going back on his promise to marry a woman, the woman approached the Meira Paibis in her locality. The women stormed into Sekmai town and stood in front of the MLA’s gates. After they were turned away by the Meira Paibis of Sekmai, “The women leaders…came back to Thangmeiband and still seething with anger, called a bandh demanding that the two lovers be brought together,” The Indian Express reported at the time.
* The Meira Paibis have been reported to play a role in the current crisis as well. The armed forces recently apprehended 12 KYKL cadres with arms, ammunition and war-like stores during an operation in Itham village in Imphal East, but were forced to release the men, reportedly after pressure from women activists who confronted the security personnel.
