Many people were drawn to Indian midfielder Jeakson Singh’s outfit during his team’s post-match celebrations following their SAFF Championship 2023 victory. The Blue Tigers defeated Kuwait on penalties 5-4 to win the trophy for the ninth time and defend their title from the previous year. Jeakson played the entire game, driving his team forward while also sheltering the defence. However, AIFF have shown solidarity to the midfielder’s actions.
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During the presenting ceremony, he was covered in a multi-colored flag. This was the Meitei flag, which represented the seven clan dynasties of Ancient Manipur.
“It was my Manipuri flag. I just wanted to tell Manipur and all of India to stay in peace and save Manipur. I want peace. It’s been two months now and fighting is still going on. I just wanted to bring the government’s and other people’s attention to get peace, you know.” Jeakson said explaining his action.
He was making reference to the recent riots in Manipur, which began when the Meitei people asked the Supreme Court to grant them constitutional protection as Scheduled Tribes under the Indian constitution.
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India’s victory over Kuwait gave them much-needed confidence that they could keep getting better and compete for more awards in the future. Manipur, a state in northeastern India, has been plagued by violence since May 2023. Meitei and Kuki, two local ethnic populations, have been the main targets of the violence.
It culminated in an awful conflict between the Meitei people and the tribal groups, especially the Kuki and Zo clans, in the month of May. May was a violent month, including periods during which Section 144 and an internet shutdown were implemented.
On June 3, the Indian Express claimed that 98 people had died as a consequence of the rioting, while at least 310 more had been hurt. The Hindu reported on June 14 that 11 persons, including nine Meitei males, had been shot while an additional 14 had been wounded.
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