Manipur violence: As the northeastern state of Manipur continues to witness violence and arson since the last one and half, a retired top Army officer on Friday compared the situation in crisis-hit state to that of war-hit nations like Lebanon, Syria and Libya. Manipur has seen incessant strife since May 3 and over 100 people have been killed.
Lieutenant General (Retd) L Nishikanta Singh in a tweet said that Manipur is now ‘stateless’. “I’m just an ordinary Indian from Manipur living a retired life. The state is now ‘stateless’. Life and property can be destroyed anytime by anyone, just like in Libya, Lebanon, Nigeria, Syria, etc,” tweeted Lt Gen (Retd) Singh.
“Need urgent attention”
Former Indian Army chief General VP Malik (retired) also called for “urgent attention” to the situation in Manipur. General Malik, retweeted Singh’s post and tagged Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Home Minister Amit Shah, asking for “urgent attention at the highest level.” “An extraordinary sad call from a retired Lt General from Manipur. Law and order situation in Manipur needs urgent attention at highest level,” General Malik replied to Singh’s tweet.
More than 100 people lost their lives and 310 others were injured in the ethnic violence between Meitei and Kuki community people in Manipur that broke out a month ago. Thousands of people are reported to be in refugee camps outside the state and lakhs of men, women and children have been displaced.
Union Minister’s residence vandalised by mob
Union Minister RK Ranjan Singh’s house in Imphal was vandalised and set on fire by a mob on Thursday night. “I am shocked. The law and order situation in Manipur has totally failed,” RK Ranjan Singh said on Friday. “It is very sad to see what is happening in my home state. I will still continue to appeal for peace. Those indulging in this kind of violence are absolutely inhuman,” he said.
Earlier on Jun 14, the official quarters of woman Manipur Minister Nemcha Kipgen in Lamphel area in Imphal West district was set on fire by unidentified people. No one was present in the quarters of Kipgen, a Kuki community leader, when it was torched. Firefighters reached the spot and doused the flames before the blaze could spread to the neighbourhood.
Civil society groups urge PM to form court-monitored tribunal
Amid the continuing violence, several civil society groups have urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to form a court-monitored tribunal to bring back normalcy in the state and demanded financial compensation to those affected. “The prime minister must take accountability of the current situation in Manipur. A court-monitored tribunal must be formed to establish facts, and prepare the ground for justice and healing of the gaping wound that separates communities of Manipur to mitigate the divisiveness,” PTI quoted from the statement that has over 500 groups as signatories.
Separately, a Delhi-based member of the Kuki-Zo community has also written to Union Home Minister Amit Shah on the safety of Kuki-Zo inmates in jails in Manipur and sought his intervention.
The ethnic violence first broke out in Manipur after a ‘Tribal Solidarity March’ was organised in the hill districts on May 3 to protest the Meitei community’s demand for Scheduled Tribe (ST) status. Meiteis account for about 53 per cent of Manipur’s population and live mostly in the Imphal Valley. Tribals — Nagas and Kukis — constitute another 40 per cent of the population and reside in the hill districts. The violence was preceded by tension over the eviction of Kuki villagers from reserve forest land, which had led to a series of smaller agitations.
Congress demands PM Modi convene all-party meeting
The Congress Friday demanded that Prime Minister Narendra Modi call an all-party meeting on the Manipur crises. Taking to Twitter, MP and All India Congress Committee (AICC) general secretary (organisation) K.C. Venugopal said that such a meeting must be called immediately as the “country is demanding answers”.
“Manipur is burning for the last 40 days and the conflict is spiralling out of control. There is no semblance of rule of law and those in power are themselves spearheading massacres and helping militants with arms and ammunition,” Venugopal said in a long tweet. “The PM has maintained a stone-cold silence, and his government has taken no concrete action so far. Why is the Union government allowing this to continue? Who is accountable for this disastrous situation? The PM must immediately call for an all-party meeting because the country is demanding answers. Will he finally speak up after a Union Minister’s residence has been attacked?” he further said.
Double-engine govt failing people of Manipur
The Congress on Friday hit out at the “double engine” BJP governments in Manipur and at the Centre and asked when will Prime Minister Narendra Modi speak out on the situation in the violence-hit state and make an appeal for peace. Congress leader P Chidambaram said the double-engine formula failed in Karnataka and the BJP was shown the door by the people of the southern state and “the double-engine government is failing the people of Manipur”.
Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh also shared the remarks made by Union minister Rajkumar Ranjan Singh from Manipur whose house was burnt in the state by miscreants. “Here is a Union Minister from Manipur lamenting the prevailing situation in his state. But the PM is still silent, too busy preparing for his visit to the US while Manipur continues to burn,” Ramesh said. He also shared a previous speech by the prime minister where he was heard saying that there was a time when governments had left Manipur to fend for itself.
Efforts have been made by the Centre to bring back normalcy
Meanwhile, sources said all-out efforts have been made by the Centre to bring back normalcy in Manipur through a number of initiatives that include enhanced area domination in fringe areas and higher reaches by security forces, mobilisation of additional troops and close monitoring by senior officials.
The Union home ministry has also rushed Director General of CRPF S L Thaosen to Manipur to assess the situation and for better utilisation and coordination of central forces, the sources privy to the development said. The central government’s urgency to check continuous violence in Manipur comes after the killing of nine youths in a single incident and torching of the private residence of Union minister Singh, they said.
Also Read: Manipur crisis: 9 people killed, 10 injured in fresh violence in Imphal East
(With agencies input)