Manipur peace can be restored in five minutes if government decides, says Rahul Gandhi
Imphal: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has said that much-needed peace in Manipur could be restored through dialogue between the two communities, which he described as the ultimate solution to the current crisis. Interacting with young women from Gargi College and Delhi University on Tuesday, he stated that if the Government of India decided to restore peace in Manipur, it could be achieved within five minutes. “If the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) were in power, it could be settled within hours,” he said, adding that both communities need to build bridges for the restoration of peace. The UPA was a coalition of centre-left political parties in India, primarily led by the Indian National Congress (INC), which governed the country from 2004 to 2014. He added that the Indian Army is supposed to stop people from fighting each other. Reiterating his point, Gandhi said both communities need to build bridges for lasting peace in the state. He accused the ruling government of lacking the intention to end the violence, noting that the Prime Minister has not visited conflict-hit Manipur in recent months. He further expressed hope that if the UPA were in power, the situation would be resolved within hours. Gandhi emphasised that Manipur deserves peace and said that families who have lost loved ones must be taken care of. He advocated a bottom-up approach to peacebuilding, suggesting that educated youth and civil society can help bridge divides. Gandhi said Manipur is going through a “very difficult time” and encouraged young people to stand against injustice and empathise with the suffering of the people. He argued that peacebuilding must emerge from the middle and grassroots levels, suggesting that educated groups from both sides should organise workshops and peace initiatives. Notably, Rahul Gandhi made multiple visits to Manipur, including relief camps in Churachandpur, Moirang, and Jiribam in 2024, where he met victims of ethnic violence. He focused on listening to the grievances of displaced people, including women and children, and called for peace and central intervention. By Bit Irom Courtesy : North East Now Note: This news is originally published on https:/northeastnow.com/bha and is used purely for non-profit/non-commercial purposes, especially human rights
‘Sickening’: Meghalaya CM condemns assault on Manipur woman, Assam transgender person in Delhi park
Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad Sangma on March 9 strongly condemned an alleged racial assault on two people from the Northeast in New Delhi, describing the incident as “sickening” and urging authorities to take stringent action against the perpetrators. The alleged attack took place near the Saket District Court Complex in the Malviya Nagar area on Sunday evening, where a young woman from Manipur and a transgender person from Assam were reportedly assaulted by a group of men in a park, raising fresh concerns over the safety of Northeastern residents in the national capital. Reacting to the incident, Sangma said he was angered by the repeated attacks on people from the Northeast living in mainland India. “The physical attack on two of our people from Manipur and Assam near Saket Court, Delhi is sickening. Racial bullying should not be accepted as the new normal and we must act against it. Urge the authorities to take stringent action,” the chief minister wrote on social media. According to preliminary accounts, the victims were taking a walk in the park near the court complex when a group of youths allegedly began passing racially derogatory remarks at them. When the woman objected to the comments, the situation reportedly escalated into a confrontation. The victims alleged that the group then physically assaulted them, punching them and striking them with belts while hurling abusive slurs. One of the assailants allegedly used derogatory terms during the altercation. Sources also indicated that the victims had faced similar verbal harassment in the locality on earlier occasions. In a statement, the Delhi Police confirmed that a team responded to information about an alleged assault near the Saket court complex. According to the police, the woman from Manipur and her friend were walking in the park when a group of men passed remarks at them, leading to an argument. “When one of the girls objected to the comments, the situation escalated and she was reportedly assaulted by the accused,” police said. The injured woman was later taken to Safdarjung Hospital for medical examination and treatment. Authorities said that, according to preliminary reports, she is in stable condition and has suffered minor injuries. Police officials said they are in constant touch with the victims and assured that strict action would be taken against those responsible. The matter is currently under investigation. The incident comes just days after another case of racial abuse in the capital sparked widespread outrage. In that case, a Delhi resident, Harsh Singh, was booked for allegedly racially abusing three women from Arunachal Pradesh following a dispute over repair work at their rented apartment. The back-to-back incidents have renewed concerns about racial discrimination faced by people from Northeast India in metropolitan cities and prompted calls for stronger enforcement of laws against hate crimes and harassment. Courtesy : India Today NE Note: This news is originally published on https:/indiatodayne.com/bha and is used purely for non-profit/non-commercial purposes, especially human rights
Transgender Manipur activist cycles across states to spread message of peace
Kolkata, Transgender Manipur social activist Malem Thongam, who embarked on a 3,000-km journey on a cycle from Delhi, reached West Bengal after travelling through several states, spreading the message of peace for the northeastern state in the wake of the deadly ethnic violence. Thongam began her ride on October 2, cycling through Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, and will continue onward to Assam, Nagaland and finally Manipur. “Humanity should prevail over differences of religion, caste, community and ethnicity,” she told PTI on Saturday. “I stand before you as a Manipur transgender activist, a survivor and a seeker of peace,” she said. “On October 2, 2025, I began a 3,000-km journey from Qutub Minar, cycling across India for Manipur’s peace.” Ethnic clashes between the Meitei and Kuki communities erupted in May 2023, claiming more than 260 lives and displacing thousands. “This is not a stunt,” Thongam said. “It is a cry from the soul of a wounded land – a pilgrimage for healing and unity. For months after May 3, 2023, Manipur was engulfed in a humanitarian catastrophe: ethnic violence, displacement and destruction.” The activist claimed that over 60,000 people remain internally displaced, with villages razed, women assaulted, children orphaned, elders abandoned and persons with disabilities still trapped in relief camps. Appealing to people along her route, Thongam said, “Let us uphold the values of dignity and inclusiveness for a peaceful Manipur.” Belonging to the Meitei community herself, she called on India and the world “not to look away. Let Manipur be seen. Let Manipur be healed – in strength, in truth and in hope.” Recalling the events leading up to her mission, she said she began a hunger strike in New Delhi on February 22, 2024, demanding an end to the violence. Detained briefly by police, she resumed her fast at a gurdwara near Connaught Place after her release. Her demands included direct intervention from Prime Minister Narendra Modi. In March last year, she continued her protest at Imphal’s Kangla West Gate, fasting for more than 50 days to call for peace. Thongam said the solidarity she has received across states has been deeply moving. In Uttar Pradesh’s Sitapur district, she was welcomed by a district hospital medical team and police personnel. In Patna, residents greeted her with placards advocating peace. She also offered prayers at Patna’s Jama Masjid for interfaith harmony and healing. “We want free movement across highways and inter-state roads to continue unhindered, as in the past,” she said, referring to incidents in Manipur where members of one community were barred from travelling through areas dominated by another. “We don’t want communities to fight. If there are demands, they must be addressed to the government,” the activist said. “The incidents that struck our beautiful state in those dark days keep haunting me. I only wish all communities live together in harmony,” she said, speaking in Meitei, with an interpreter translating. Asked about support from the transgender community, Thongam said, “Every citizen, including trans men and trans women, has supported me, along with members of the community from abroad who have pledged their solidarity.” (This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI) Courtesy : The Week Note: This news is originally published on https:/theweek.com/bha and is used purely for non-profit/non-commercial purposes, especially human rights
NE’s 1st trans doctor wins legal battle to have new identity in academic certs
IMPHAL: Beoncy Laishram, who broke the glass ceiling by becoming the Northeast’s first transgender doctor, won another landmark battle Tuesday when Manipur high court acknowledged her right to have all academic certificates reissued to reflect her “female” name and gender. The court directed the authorities to issue the certificates Beoncy had applied for within a month of the order. Beoncy, born male and known as Boboi Laishram before undergoing gender reassignment surgery in Oct 2019, got her Aadhaar, voter ID and PAN updated by producing a transgender certificate issued by the district magistrate of Imphal West. She approached the high court in Feb 2024 after the Board of Secondary Education Manipur, Council of Higher Secondary Education Manipur, Manipur University and Manipur Medical Council refused to change her name and gender in their records. Beoncy’s counsel Jayna Kothari cited sections 5, 6 and 7 of the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Act, 2019, while arguing for her right to have the requisite modifications made in her academic certificates. The law applies to all official documents, including one’s birth certificate. The court ruled that the relevant provisions outlined in sections 6 and 7 of the Act must be incorporated into all laws, rules and regulations governing establishments within Manipur, as defined under Section 2(b) of the legislation. For Beoncy, the judgment comes as “a relief” that she can now build on her career without having to worry about identity confusion. “I have been thinking of specialising in surgery or gynaecology someday. I was scared I would be made to stay in a boys’ hostel just because my academic records say I am a male,” she said. Courtesy : TOI Note: This news is originally published on https:/timesofindia.com/bha and is used purely for non-profit/non-commercial purposes, especially human rights.