5 lakh participate in mass rally in Manipur

IMPHAL, June 18 ? About five lakh people today turned out here to remember the 18 killed during the agitation in Manipur after the extension of the ceasefire agreement between the Centre and the NSCN(IM) to the State on this day last year, reports PTI. Organised by the apex United Committee Manipur (UCM), rallyists from four corners of the State converged at Mapal Kangjeibung, the polo ground, before marching in a procession to Kekrupat on the banks of Imphal river, where the victims of the agitation were cremated. The Chief Minister Okram Ibobi Singh led the rallyists at Kekrupat. The rallyists then marched to the nearby Khuman Lampak Main Stadium to attend a public meeting convened by the UCM. The State government has declared the day as a holiday.

Official reports said that besides the majority Metei community, a large number of Nagas, Kukis and Manipur-based Nepalis, and smaller communities took part in the rally. The UCM has also started construction of a memorial complex in commemoration of those who laid down their lives during last year?s agitation, at Kekrupat. The All Manipur United Clubs Organisation (AMUCO), another apex body of organisations, observed the day as ?Unity Day? with a meeting to pay tribute to those killed.