Aizawl: Mizoram’s apex student body, Mizo Zirlai Pawl (MZP), has sought the immediate termination of a PhD scholar from Manipur for her alleged involvement in collecting donations for Meitei armed groups.
The organisation on Monday submitted a representation to Mizoram University (MZU) registrar urging him to expel Teresa Nungthujam, who is pursuing her PhD programme at MZU for allegedly raising funds to purchase bullets for Meitei militia Arambai Tengol to harm Kuki people.
In a letter, the MZP alleged that Teresa raised Rs. 20,000 among Meitei students to purchase bullets.
The organisation accused Teresa of engaging in activities that are not only morally reprehensible but also contradict the principles of humanity and academic integrity.
The letter stated the severity of the allegations and urged the university to take swift and decisive action to terminate Teresa’s enrollment in the PhD programme.
Meanwhile, Mizo Students’ Union (MSU), one of the influential student organisations in Mizoram, accused the Meitei community working and studying at Mizoram University (MZU) of collecting donations for the purchase of arms amid ethnic violence in Manipur.
The organisation also submitted a written complaint on the matter to the MZU registrar on Monday.
A statement issued by the organisation alleged that Meitei students collected money from Meitei people in MZU for the purchase of arms to attack the Kuki-zo people in the neighbouring state.
“The MSU has taken strong exception to the action of the Meitei students at a time when the student body is doing its best to ensure that the Meitei people live peacefully in Mizoram,” the statement said.
It also said that the MSU has taken the matter seriously and warned that it will not remain a mute spectator.
The Meitei students could not be contacted for comments.
Manipur is yet to recover from the ethnic violence that broke out in May 2023 between the hill-majority Kuki-Zo tribes and the valley-majority Meiteis.
In the eight months since the ethnic violence broke out, more than 200 people have been killed, thousands of people displaced and hundreds of houses and churches have been burned to ashes.