Imphal: People under the umbrella of the United Committee Manipur on Sunday staged sit-ins at 24 places here, protesting against the possible extension of Article 371 (A) to Manipur as a result of the Naga framework agreement.
The agreement was signed between the Centre and the NSCN (Isak-Muivah) on August 3, 2015, to settle the two-decade-long Indo-Naga issue.
The sit-ins were staged along Imphal International Airport Road from Keishampat to Ghari.
Soibam Indrani, a demonstrator at Takhel Leikai, said, "Don't think we are idle people who are staging a rally. We abstain from our work today to rally for the protection of emotional and territorial integrity of Manipur. Saving the state's integrity is far more essential than our livelihood. We will not remain silent when the integrity of the state is threatened by the Naga accord."
The government should not take this movement lightly, she added.
Various organisations have been protesting against interlocutor R.N. Ravi's statement that "special status" would be offered to the Naga people by extending Article 371A to Naga-inhabited areas, according to a report of the parliamentary standing committee.
They also demanded a special Assembly session to resolve to protect Manipur's integrity from the outcome of the framework agreement.
They said the probability of extending Article 371A in the state to give special status to Nagas in Manipur has created apprehension. Civil society groups accused the Centre of trying to disrupt communal harmony.
UCM president Sunil Karam said according to the resolution of the parliamentary standing committee report, a similar bill would be passed in the Naga-inhabited areas of Manipur.
"We will launch a series of protests. By mid-September a public seminar will be organised where experts will discuss the parliamentary report. The recommendations adopted at the seminar will be sent to the central and the state governments," Sunil said.
The place and date of the seminar will be announced later, he added. Poster campaigns and wall painting against the biased governance of the central government will be held all over the state, he added. He appealed to the people for their cooperation.
