Transgender Manipur activist cycles across states to spread message of peace

Kolkata, Nov 23 (PTI) Transgender Manipur social activist Malem Thongam, who embarked on a 3,000-km journey on a cycle from Delhi, reached West Bengal after travelling through several states, spreading the message of peace for the northeastern state in the wake of the deadly ethnic violence.

Thongam began her ride on October 2, cycling through Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, and will continue onward to Assam, Nagaland and finally Manipur. “Humanity should prevail over differences of religion, caste, community and ethnicity,” she told PTI on Saturday.

“I stand before you as a Manipur transgender activist, a survivor and a seeker of peace,” she said. “On October 2, 2025, I began a 3,000-km journey from Qutub Minar, cycling across India for Manipur’s peace.” Ethnic clashes between the Meitei and Kuki communities erupted in May 2023, claiming more than 260 lives and displacing thousands.

“This is not a stunt,” Thongam said. “It is a cry from the soul of a wounded land - a pilgrimage for healing and unity. For months after May 3, 2023, Manipur was engulfed in a humanitarian catastrophe: ethnic violence, displacement and destruction.” The activist claimed that over 60,000 people remain internally displaced, with villages razed, women assaulted, children orphaned, elders abandoned and persons with disabilities still trapped in relief camps.

Appealing to people along her route, Thongam said, “Let us uphold the values of dignity and inclusiveness for a peaceful Manipur.” Belonging to the Meitei community herself, she called on India and the world “not to look away. Let Manipur be seen. Let Manipur be healed - in strength, in truth and in hope.” Recalling the events leading up to her mission, she said she began a hunger strike in New Delhi on February 22, 2024, demanding an end to the violence.

Detained briefly by police, she resumed her fast at a gurdwara near Connaught Place after her release. Her demands included direct intervention from Prime Minister Narendra Modi. In March last year, she continued her protest at Imphal’s Kangla West Gate, fasting for more than 50 days to call for peace.

Thongam said the solidarity she has received across states has been deeply moving. In Uttar Pradesh’s Sitapur district, she was welcomed by a district hospital medical team and police personnel. In Patna, residents greeted her with placards advocating peace. She also offered prayers at Patna’s Jama Masjid for interfaith harmony and healing.

“We want free movement across highways and inter-state roads to continue unhindered, as in the past,” she said, referring to incidents in Manipur where members of one community were barred from travelling through areas dominated by another.

“We don’t want communities to fight. If there are demands, they must be addressed to the government,” the activist said.

“The incidents that struck our beautiful state in those dark days keep haunting me. I only wish all communities live together in harmony,” she said, speaking in Meitei, with an interpreter translating.

Asked about support from the transgender community, Thongam said, “Every citizen, including trans men and trans women, has supported me, along with members of the community from abroad who have pledged their solidarity.” PTI SUS NN RBT