Page 22 - Manipur

Manipur: Over 188K affected by floods, more than 24,000 houses damaged

A total of 1,88,143 people have been affected by floods in Manipur following incessant rainfall in the aftermath of Cyclone Remal, a state minister said on Thursday. It has also damaged at least 24,265 houses in the last few days, he said. Altogether 18,103 people have been evacuated and 56 relief camps were set up, Minister for Water Resources and Relief & Disaster Management Awangbou Newmai informed. In a post on Facebook, he said: "Held a brief meeting with Additional Chief Secretary, Deputy Commissioner Imphal West & East, Directorate Relief and Disaster Management to review the flood situation, and strategising for immediate action on relief, search and rescue operations." Around 401 hectares of crop have been affected, too, he said. Relief materials have been distributed to Imphal East, Imphal West, Bisnupur, Noney, Churanchanpur, Senapati and Kakching, the minister said. Newmai said three persons have died and nine people suffered injuries, while one is missing due to ..

EU announces over Rs 2 cr aid for Manipur, hit by hailstorm, heavy rain

The European Union (EU) on Wednesday announced a financial aid of Euro 250,000 (over Rs 22.6 million) to help people hit by a hailstorm and heavy rain in the northeastern state of Manipur in early May. The EU said the aid will be delivered by its humanitarian partner ADRA (Adventist Development and Relief Agency) and it will benefit more than 1,500 most vulnerable families. "The European Union has made available Euro 250,000 in response to the recent hailstorm and heavy rain that hit India's northeastern state of Manipur in early May," the EU said in a statement. It said humanitarian aid will provide crucial assistance to those most affected in some of the worst-hit areas. The EU said priority will be accorded to the distribution of food and emergency shelter kits to help affected people whose livelihoods and houses have been damaged by the storm. "This will help communities to cope with the impact of the storm on their livelihood and to restore their houses," it said. On May 5,

Incessant rainfall affects normal life in Manipur, several areas inundated

Incessant heavy rainfall inundated several areas of Manipur on Tuesday affecting normal life, officials said. In Imphal East district traffic movement was affected at Andro parking, Checkon, Mahabali and Wangkhei due to waterlogging caused by clogged drains. Major roads were also inundated at Kakwa in Imphal West district affecting traffic movement, they said. No report of death or injury have been reported in the heavy rain, officials said. Heavy train triggered a mudslide near Sinam village in Kangpokpi district on NH 37 Imphal-Silchar highway sweeping off a truck into a gorge. Several other trucks have been left stranded waiting for excavators to clear the debris, officials said. In Senapati district many rivers are overflowing and flood waters have entered several localities of the district. Several rivers in Imphal valley including the largest Imphal river have also swelled due to the incessant heavy rainfall, they said.

Manipur HSLC 2024: BSEM Class 10th result out with 93.03 pass percentage

The Board of Secondary Education Manipur (BSEM) has announced the results of the Class 10 examinations today afternoon with the pass percentage of 93.03

Govt working to remove Meitei-Kuki trust deficit, bring lasting peace: Shah

Union Home Minister Amit Shah has said the government is working on removing the trust deficit between the Meitei and Kuki communities to bring lasting peace in Manipur, and the process will be expedited with utmost priority once the Lok Sabha election is over. Shah told PTI in an interview on Saturday that the clashes between the Meitei and Kuki communities were ethnic in nature and hence cannot be resolved through force. "This is not an issue of riots or terrorism. This is an issue of ethnic violence. It can't be resolved through force. This is ethnic violence," he said when asked whether the government needed to take some strong action to end the cycle of violence in the northeastern state. The home minister said the violence took place due to lack of discussions and lack of trust between the two communities which had happened due to some incidents. "We have to repair this. This is a time consuming job. We were working on it speedily. But it has been delayed due to the elections

Manipur violence accounted for 97% of displacements in South Asia in 2023

Conflict and violence triggered 69,000 displacements in South Asia in 2023, with Manipur violence alone accounting for 67,000, according to a new report. The report by the Geneva-based Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre (IDMC) termed it the highest number of displacements triggered by conflict and violence in India since 2018. On May 3, 2023, a 'Tribal Solidarity March' was organised in Manipur's hill districts to protest against the Meitei community's demand for Scheduled Tribe (ST) status. The march led to ethnic clashes between the Meitei and the Kuki communities, ultimately claiming more than 200 lives. The Manipur High Court had in March last year called for recommendations to be sent to the central government to recognise the Meitei community as a "scheduled tribe," an official status designed to protect minorities from marginalisation. The call was met with resistance from other local scheduled tribes, including the Kukis. Land disputes were also an underlying driver o

5,457 'illegal immigrants' detected in Manipur's Kamjong, says CM Singh

The Manipur government has detected 5,457 illegal immigrants in the Kamjong district and measures are being taken for their deportation, Chief Minister N Biren Singh said. The biometric data of 5,173 people have been collected, he said on X. "The biometrics of those staying at Phaikoh, Huimi Thana/Sangkalok refugee camps are being obtained, an official said. The CM said his government has been providing humanitarian aide to all the illegal immigrants. We have been handling this situation with utmost sensitivity," he said. Earlier this month, at least 38 more illegal immigrants from Myanmar, who had crossed over to Manipur, were deported through Moreh town in Tengnoupal district, Singh had informed. A total of 77 such immigrants were deported in the first phase, he said.

Over 15,000 houses damaged in hailstorm in Manipur: CM Biren Singh

Over 15,000 houses were damaged in the hailstorm that hit Manipur on Sunday, Chief Minister N Biren Singh said. Addressing a press conference on Monday, Singh said several vehicles were also damaged in the disaster. "The state sustained massive damage in yesterday's hailstorm. Further assessment is going on. So far, 15,425 houses have been severely damaged. The Imphal West district is worst affected with 6,053 houses being damaged," Singh said. "A total of 5,600 houses were damaged in Imphal East, while in Churachandpur district, 540 houses were damaged," he said. The hailstorm damaged 1,179 houses in Bishnupur, 800 houses in Thoubal, 292 in Kangpokpi, and 200 in Ukhrul, he added. Singh said 42 relief camps were opened following the disaster, and relief materials were being provided through the deputy commissioners. "A total of Rs 6.19 crore has been sanctioned to meet the relief expenses, of which Rs 50 lakh each for the valley districts and Rs 40 lakhs each for the hill distric

In conflict-torn Manipur, youngsters take up arms to 'protect' villages

Every day in shifts, morning and night, a group of armed youngsters patrol roads around Manipur's Koutruk village. Their objective: Keep residents safe from the warring factions of Meitei and Kuki, two communities that have been in conflict since last year. These youngsters, mostly in their late 20s and early 30s, identify themselves as volunteers and say they have taken up the responsibility to keep their own safe as security forces "could not do enough to protect us". Kotruk in the Imphal Valley is one of the many villages in the state that is "protected" by such groups which identify themselves as "Village Volunteers", "Village Volunteer Force", "Village Defence Force" and "Village Protection Force". These groups, officials say, are not associated with any security agency or the armed forces. Trained in basic combat tactics, the village forces have vowed to keep their areas safe from the ethnic violence that has left many dead, injured and displaced. Their presence in villages

Manipur unrest: Modi govt apathetic, remorseless, alleges Congress

The Congress on Friday attacked the Modi government over the situation in Manipur, accusing it of being apathetic and remorseless. In a post on X, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge noted that Manipur started burning exactly a year ago on May 3, 2023. "Humanity perished in Manipur The cruel combination of an apathetic Modi Government and an inept BJP State Government have virtually divided the state into two halves. "A remorseless PM Modi has not set foot in this border state, for it exposes his rank incompetency and absolute indifference. His ego has damaged the social fabric of a beautiful state," he charged in a post on X. Kharge noted that the people of Manipur, from all communities now know how the BJP made their lives miserable. "People of Northeast, now know that Modi Government's shameless drumbeating about so called development drowned the voices of humanity in the region. People of India, now know that PM Modi and his Government has no iota of sympathy for the countle

Manipur: Army stopped by women-led protestors from taking away seized arms

The Army was stopped from taking away the arms and ammunition they seized in Manipur's Bishnupur district on Tuesday by women-led protestors, officials said. During patrolling in the Kumbi area in the early hours, personnel of the Army's 2 Mahar regiment intercepted two SUVs, they said. "On seeing the Army personnel, the occupants of the two vehicles fled, leaving behind their arms," an official said. A while later, 'Meira Paibis' -- civilian group of Meitei women -- gathered at the spot, and demanded that the weapons be handed over to them, he said. They also demanded that no weapons be confiscated till the conflict, which broke out in May last year, is over, he added. Hundreds of women blocked the road and prevented the Army convoy from leaving the area, officials said. To disperse the mob, the Army fired in the air but that too bore no result, they said. Upon getting to know about the incident, state police forces rushed to the area. It was then agreed that the Army would lat

Police abandoned Manipur women to mob that paraded them naked: CBI

Charge sheet filed by federal agency reveals key details of violence that took place on May 3 in Churachandpur district

LS polls: 16.68% turnout recorded in repolling in Outer Manipur till 9 am

A voter turnout of 16.68 per cent was recorded till 9 am at six polling stations in Outer Manipur Lok Sabha seat, where repolling is underway on Tuesday, election officials said. No untoward incident was reported so far and voting, which commenced at 7 am, is underway under tight security arrangements, they said. Repolling was necessitated as unidentified persons had damaged EVMs and VVPATs before the completion of voting at four of these six polling stations on April 26, while EVM malfunctioning was reported at one polling station, and voting could not be completed at another due to "threat and intimidation by unknown miscreants", they said. Voting at four polling stations in Ukhrul assembly segment, and one each in Chingai assembly seat in Ukhrul and Karong in Senapati was declared null and void, a notification issued by the office of Manipur's chief electoral officer had earlier said. Five of the polling stations are in Ukhrul district and have a total of 4,156 voters. Around 7

LS polls: ECI orders repolling at 6 outer Manipur stations on April 30

Earlier, re-polling was held in 11 polling stations of the Inner Manipur constituency on April 22, after multiple incidents of violence were reported during the first phase of polling on April 19.

India slams US human rights report, says 'reflects poor understanding'

The '2023 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices: India', released by the US State Department, highlighted an ethnic conflict between the Meitei and Kuki communities in Manipur

IED explosion damages bridge on NH 2 in ethnic violence-hit Manipur

A bridge on the National Highway 2 in ethnic violence-hit Manipur's Kangpokpi district was partially damaged in an IED explosion early on Wednesday, disrupting traffic movement in the area, police said. The blast occurred on the bridge between Sapermeina and Koubru Leikha areas around 12.45 am, an officer said. No casualties were reported so far in the improvised explosive device (IED) blast, he said. Three craters and cracks on both ends of the bridge were noticed, the officer said. Movement of heavy vehicles has been stopped on the bridge connecting Manipur's capital Imphal with Nagaland's Dimapur. Minutes after the explosion, police personnel rushed to the spot and cordoned off the bridge, he said, adding that an investigation into the IED blast has been initiated. Some two-wheelers, however, were seen plying on the bridge this morning. The IED explosion occurred hours after gunfights broke out between village volunteers of the two warring communities in Imphal West district

Significant human rights abuses in Manipur after ethnic violence: US report

There were significant human rights abuses in Manipur after the outbreak of ethnic conflict, the US State Department said on Monday in its Country Reports on Human Rights Practices. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has described the incident as shameful and urged action on the case, it said. In its annual report of the State Department, which is mandated by the US Congress, it also mentions the raids by tax authorities on the office of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), the conviction and sentencing to two years of prison to Rahul Gandhi by a court in Gujarat. Released by Secretary of State Antony Blinken, the report mentions some of the positive developments on the issue of human rights and freedom of expression and gathering in the year 2023, the duration of the report. In July, the government permitted a march in Srinagar, the main city of Kashmir, allowing Shia Muslims to mark the religious Muharram event. This procession represented the first government-sanctioned ...

Lok Sabha Elections: Why is Manipur repolling?

11 polling stations in Manipur underwent repolling on April 22. This came after the Election Commission’s decision to declare the polls held at these stations on April 19 as null and void.

Repolling at 11 Manipur polling stations after gunfire, EVMs destroyed

Manipur chief electoral officer on Saturday announced repolling at 11 polling stations in Inner Manipur Lok Sabha constituency on April 22. The decision follows a directive from the Election Commission to declare the polls held at these stations on April 19 as null and void and schedule fresh polling. The affected polling stations are Moirangkampu Sajeb and Thongam Leikai in Khurai constituency, four in Kshetrigao and one in Thongju in Imphal East district and three in Uripok and one in Konthoujam in Imphal West district, the official said. Incidents of firing, intimidation, destruction of EVMs at some polling booths and allegations of booth capturing were reported from conflict-hit Manipur that recorded a turnout of 72 per cent in the two Lok Sabha constituencies - Inner Manipur and Outer Manipur - on Friday. Earlier in the day, the Congress had demanded repoll in 47 polling stations alleging that booths were captured and elections were rigged. Manipur Congress president K ...

LS polls: 37.54% turnout till 11 am in repolling at 11 booths in Manipur

Manipur saw a voter turnout of 69.18 per cent till 7 pm on Friday