A speech by Lien Gangte, the leader of Canada-based Kuki-Zo tribes group from Manipur, has caused a major controversy. The event, which took place in August at a gurdwara in Surrey, Canada, is the same gurdwara where Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar was killed in June. In his speech, Gangte condemned the attacks on minorities in India and appealed for Canada’s help. The North American Manipur Tribal Association (NAMTA), of which Gangte is the Canada chapter chief, posted a video of the event on social media, but later deleted it after the row between India and Canada escalated. The Indian intelligence agencies are monitoring NAMTA’s activities and its alleged links with Khalistanis. The accusations of association with Khalistanis have caused concern among intelligence agencies. The Manipur government has also seen the social media posts about NAMTA’s activities and is confident that the intelligence agencies are taking appropriate action. However, a Kuki-Zo communications professional claims that the controversy surrounding the video is blown out of proportion and that NAMTA’s association with Khalistanis is a baseless accusation. The ethnic violence in Manipur has resulted in over 180 deaths and thousands of displaced people living in relief camps and prefabricated houses.
Sun. Oct 13th, 2024
