Gives pain to all of us: LS Speaker Om Birla on incidents in Manipur

Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on Saturday called for peace in Manipur, saying the incidents the state witnessed since the outbreak of violence on May 3 are "painful".

Only peace can bring prosperity in the state and the region, he said, addressing a conference of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association here.

"There is always pain in my heart. Whatever incidents that took place in the state were not good incidents," Birla said in an apparent reference to the violence in Manipur. "That gives pain to all of us."

Birla said the country and all the state, as well all societies must walk on the path of peace.

"All of us should make efforts for the restoration of people," he said. "Hence, we call for peace from the humanity point of view."

The northeastern state of Manipur has been engulfed in ethnic violence since May 3, in which more than 160 people have lost their lives.