Silchar: Members of the Meitei Manipuri community in Barak Valley staged a sit-in protest in Silchar on Thursday, renewing their longstanding demand for the creation of a Manipuri Autonomous Council in Assam. The protest, organised by the Manipuri Autonomous Council Demand Coordination Committee, took place at the Khudiram Bose statue, where demonstrators raised slogans in support of their demand.

With an estimated population of around five lakh in Assam, the community cited lack of political representation in the state Assembly and Parliament as a key concern. Protesters argued that this political marginalisation has resulted in the denial of various welfare benefits—an experience similar to that once faced by communities such as the Moran, Motak, and Koch Rajbongshi, all of whom have since been granted autonomous councils.

Committee chairman K. Shanti Kumar Singh appealed to the Assam Chief Minister to honour the promise made on March 9, 2021, by then Health Minister and now Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma. The commitment, made in the presence of Manipur’s former Chief Minister N. Biren Singh, had assured the formation of a Manipuri Autonomous Council.

Singh said that the failure to fulfil this assurance has deepened the community’s sense of neglect. “In 2020, the state government approved autonomous councils for the Moran, Motak, and Koch Rajbongshi communities. The Meitei Manipuris, whose population is larger than that of the Dimasas, have a legitimate claim as well,” he said.

Clarifying the identity behind the demand, Singh stated, “We are Manipuris of Assam, not Manipuris of Manipur. This is about the identity and rights of Manipuris residing in Assam.”

The committee submitted a memorandum to the Chief Minister through the Cachar District Commissioner. Singh warned that if the demand continues to be ignored, the agitation will be intensified in the coming days.

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