Newmai News Network
Senapati | July 16
The United Naga Council (UNC) has announced to impose a 12-hour “total shutdown in all the Naga areas in the state of Manipur” from 6 am to 6 pm on Monday, July 17, 2023 in connection with the killing of a Naga woman in Imphal. “In the event of not fulfilling our demands within 48 hours, further course of action will be initiated,” the UNC cautioned.
In a statement made available to Newmai News Network tonight, the UNC put up various demands in this connection.
According to the UNC, the Naga body is aghast to learn the “cold blooded murder” of Lucy Marem, in the evening of July 15 at Sawombung (Ukhrul road), Imphal East district.
The UNC then said it condemned “such barbaric acts committed on innocent Nagas despite knowing her identity as Naga”. Since the beginning of this unfortunate conflict between the Meiteis and the Kukis the Nagas have maintained that peace must prevail and have lent “our might toward this end”, it also said. “Vested interest parties who wish to drag us into this conflict will not be spared and our patience and accommodating acts of the recent past should not be taken as a sign of weakness by all concerned who have provoked us, destroying our properties, torturing and humiliating us during the present conflict at different places and times,” the UNC added.
The UNC demanded that the State Government must immediately constitute a judiciary inquiry committee and arrest the perpetrators of the crime including those who are complicit in the act of crime, and exemplary punishment should be initiated upon the culprits.
The UNC also demanded that cold blooded killing of “Naga sister Lucy Maring must be brought in the limelight of justice befittingly as per the Naga customary law”.
The UNC also demanded that the the Meitei civil society organizations will be equally held responsible for this “despicable act hence their role and position must be made known to all concerned”.
The Naga body then said, “As a mark of our resentment for the brutal murder and tribute to innocent victim Lucy Marem, a 12-hour total shutdown will be observed in all the Naga areas in the state of Manipur” from 6 am to 6 pm. on Monday July 17, 2023. In the event of not fulfilling our demands within 48 hours, further course of action will be initiated”.
