Seven women, their heads shorn in a stark symbol of protest, took to bicycles on Friday in a resolute ride for peace through Imphal, the heart of Manipur.
Their message: an end to the ethnic violence that has ravaged the state for a year.
Clad in black, the women cycled nearly 20 kilometres from Sekmai, a village on the Imphal Valley's fringe, to Kangla, the historic seat of power.
Kh Shanti, a middle-aged participant, spoke of their weariness. "Shaving our heads is a protest against the government's failure to stop the gun violence plaguing us," she said. "We're tired of these militant attacks from the hills."
Their ride coincided with the first anniversary of the eruption of ethnic clashes in Manipur.
"Today, we remember the lives lost, the farmers and daily wage earners brutally attacked in Torbung and Phougakchao," said M Sobita Devi, a leader of the Meira Paibi, a powerful women's rights group in Manipur.
The women cyclists carried placards that declared their yearning for peace and their opposition to calls for a separate administration for the hills.
Devi reiterated their stance: "We want peace, not division. Protect Manipur's territorial integrity."
This sentiment was echoed by internally displaced persons residing in relief camps and members of the Khumujamba Meitei Leikai Pattadar Association, who also held a commemoration in Imphal East district.
The year-long conflict, sparked by a "Tribal Solidarity March" protesting the Meitei community's demand for Scheduled Tribe status, has left a trail of devastation.
Over 219 lives have been claimed, and thousands have been displaced from their homes.
The fault lines run deep – the Meiteis, a valley-dwelling majority, and the tribal groups, primarily Nagas and Kukis, inhabiting the hills, have long grappled with issues of identity and representation. This latest chapter of violence underscores the urgent need for dialogue and a lasting peace accord.
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