People’s Voice joins the people of Manipur in condemning the cold blooded assassination of Dr Thingnam Kishan, Anbam Rajen, and Yumnam Token on February 17, 2009.

Dr Kishan and his associates were kidnapped on February 13 while on work in Ukhrul District of the state. The Manipur government tried to give a communal twist to the assassinations. However, the vigilance of the people of Manipur cutting across all divides has clearly exposed this dastardly plan of the state.

All insurgent groups active in Manipur as well as various people’s organisations, including the Naga organisations, the People's Democratic Movement and the Apunba Lup, have publicly condemned the assassination, blamed the state and its agencies for this assassination, and organised united mass protests and bandhs.

In Delhi, the Manipuri Students Association of Delhi organised an emergency protest meeting attended not only by Manipuri students, but also by political and social activists of Delhi. The meeting clearly identified who the finger of suspicion points to, as being responsible for the assassinations.  The meeting warned people against the diabolical game plan of the state and its intelligence agencies to communalise the atmosphere in Manipur.

.The Manipuri people’s organisations are unanimous that the killing of Dr Kishan was the handiwork of definite officiale in the state administration. These elements set a trap for him by calling a meeting on the 13th of February in a remote area, and used assassination squads under the state’s control to eliminate Dr Kishan and his associates.

Dr Kishan was one of the builders of the Manipuri Students Association of Delhi in his student days. He was a multifaceted personality, a musician and cultural worker, a writer and political activist. He contributed to the building of the People’s Democratic Movement in Manipur, as well as to the Committee on Human Rights (COHR), two organisations which have established themselves as far-sighted and working for the unity and rights of all the peoples, and for a new society free from all violations of human rights, free from national oppression and all kinds of exploitation and oppression.

In a statement issued by the Manipuri Students Association of Delhi (MSAD), the organisation has declared that Dr Kishan and his staff will always be remembered as victims of a reactionary regime. It hailed “the spirit of unity and political maturity exhibited by the people of Manipur in carrying out collective protest against war crimes and communal tactics carried out by the Indian state and its mercenaries”. It expressed support to the declaration of the NSCN-IM of constituting a Special Investigation Team “to leave no stone unturned in the efforts to book the culprits at the earliest possible”. In conclusion, the MSAD condemned the Indian state for shedding crocodile tears and talking about compensation, to cover up its imperial and colonial rule over the Manipuri people. The statement declared “we do not want to be killed for compensation, but we want an end to colonial subjugation and state terrorism.” The resolution passed by the Condolence meeting organised by the MSAD was signed amongst others, by representatives of Lok Raj Sangathan, Tamil Student Union, Gandhi Peace Foundation, Monsang Students Delhi, Jamia Teachers Solidarity Group, Zelianrong Students’ Union Delhi, People’s Union for Democratic Rights, United Manipur Research Organisation, Campaign For Peace & Democracy in Manipur, Eastern Quarterly, Manipur Research Forum, Women Gun Survivors’ Network, and Revolutionary Democracy.

People’s Voice hails these initiatives and the fighting unity of the people of Manipur and their organisations.