Manipur: Transgender Activist Arrested on the 10th day of her Hunger Strike

Transgender activist Malem Thongam, who started a hunger strike in New Delhi and continued it in Imphal, was arrested on Saturday night (March 2), on the 10th day of the protest.

Thongam was presented before the Imphal Magistrate Court at Lamphel on Saturday, where she was remanded to three-day judicial custody. The charges against Thongam include attempted suicide and promoting enmity between different communities. Currently, Thongam is hospitalised at JNIMS Imphal due to deteriorating health.

Thongam's demands include the urgent restoration of peace in Manipur; she demands the Prime Minister visit the state and assess the situation resulting from ongoing violence between two communities that began on May 3, 2023. Furthermore, Thongam called for the Central government to annul the Suspension of Operations (SoO) agreement signed between the Union government and Kuki militant groups.

Earlier, on February 26, Thongam was hospitalised in Delhi when her health worsened on the fourth day of the hunger strike. After being examined, she resumed her hunger strike at a gurdwara near Central Delhi's Connaught Place.

"We request Prime Minister Narendra Modi to come to Manipur and stop the violence. To bring peace and normalcy to the state, the Centre and the Manipur government should end the suspension of operations (SoO) agreement with Kuki-Zo insurgents," Thongam's civil society group and the DMCC said in a statement on Monday.

Rights activists in Imphal have urged authorities to engage with the fasting activist and provide reassurances. They drew attention to the case of Manipur's renowned activist Irom Sharmila, who went on a hunger strike for 16 years and had to be forcibly fed, underscoring the urgency of addressing longstanding issues.

Annually, a joint monitoring group (JMG) reviews the Suspension of Operations (SoO) agreement and decides on its continuation or termination. The SoO agreement stipulates that insurgents must reside in designated camps and store their weapons securely under monitoring.

There have been reports of irregular presence at several SoO camps.

Two umbrella groups, the Kuki National Organisation (KNO) and the United People's Front (UPF), represent over two dozen Kuki-Zo insurgent groups that are signatories to the SoO agreement.

The ethnic tensions in Manipur, arising from disputes over land, resources, political representation, and affirmative action policies, have persisted for nine months.