Safety Concerns Drive 40 Meitei Residents out of Mizoram to Seek Refuge in Assam’s Cachar

In a distressing turn of events, 40 residents of Mizoram belonging to the Meitei community have rushed to Cachar’s Lakhipur – Binnakandi area, seeking safety after facing harassment and feeling unsafe in Mizoram. Among the group are 10 children who, along with the adults, have found refuge in a Community Hall, generously provided by the “Monitoring Committee of Lakhipur Sub-Division, Cachar – Extending Humanitarian Aid to the Manipur Victims, 2023.”

This contingent of Meitei individuals hails from various parts of Mizoram, with some holding government jobs in the neighboring state. Among them are a professor at a Government College and a teacher at a Government School, while others have abandoned their livelihoods, such as farming, out of fear for their safety.

Alleging harassment and threats from fringe elements, the Meitei residents describe instances of their homes and workplaces, including shops, being defaced with the word “Meitei.” They have also encountered formal warnings issued by certain organizations, compelling them to leave the state.

The situation escalated further when a statement from the Office of the Peace Accord MNF Returnees’ Association General Headquarters Mizoram, calling for the departure of Meitei people from Mizoram for their safety, went viral on social media. This further fueled the fears and concerns of the Meitei community living in Mizoram.

The 40 displaced individuals who have sought refuge in Assam’s Cachar indicate that more Meitei people are on their way to Silchar from Mizoram. They estimate that approximately 3000 – 4000 Meitei people residing in Mizoram fear for their safety.

This influx of Meitei residents to Cachar has raised serious concerns about the safety and well-being of minority communities in Mizoram with crisis unfolding in Manipur where video of Kuki women being paraded naked went viral on social media. Meitei people in Manipur have carried our the atrocities on the Kuki women in the video and that is why, there is a sudden outrage against the community in Mizoram.

As the crisis unfolds, the community and the concerned organizations are coming together to support those seeking safety, with the hope that their pleas for security and peace will be heard and addressed at the earliest.