Manipur Kukis observe ‘black day’
The Hindu
They observe 28th anniversary of massacre of Kuki civilians, allegedly by an armed Naga group
The Kuki tribe in Manipur on Monday observed the 28th anniversary of the massacre of Kuki civilians in Manipur, allegedly by an armed Naga group. Kuki leaders have been demanding justice for the victims. They said that nearly 1,000 Kukis, including women and children, were killed and several villages uprooted and torched. The main function was held at the office of the Hill Tribal Council at Moreh, Manipur’s border town. Reports say that organisations of all communities in the State participated in it. The Kuki Students’ Organization also took part. J. Haokip, leader of the Hill Tribal Council, said, "We are not interfering with the government policy. We are merely demanding justice for the innocent persons slain by the Naga group. But instead of doing justice, the Government of India is in a dialogue mode with the outfit. The Kukis are not for bloodshed. We are all for peace”.Several principals of government and private schools in Delhi on Tuesday said the Directorate of Education (DoE) circular from a day earlier, directing schools to conduct classes in ‘hybrid’ mode, had caused confusion regarding day-to-day operations as they did not know how many students would return to school from Wednesday and how would teachers instruct in two modes — online and in person — at once. The DoE circular on Monday had also stated that the option to “exercise online mode of education, wherever available, shall vest with the students and their guardians”. Several schoolteachers also expressed confusion regarding the DoE order. A government schoolteacher said he was unsure of how to cope with the resumption of physical classes, given that the order directing government offices to ensure that 50% of the employees work from home is still in place. On Monday, the Commission for Air Quality Management in the National Capital Region and Adjoining Areas (CAQM) had, on the orders of the Supreme Court, directed schools in Delhi-NCR to shift classes to the hybrid mode, following which the DoE had issued the circular. The court had urged the Centre’s pollution watchdog to consider restarting physical classes due to many students missing out on the mid-day meals and lacking the necessary means to attend classes online. The CAQM had, on November 20, asked schools in Delhi-NCR to shift to the online mode of teaching.