Page 23 - Manipur

PM abandoned responsibility for BJP-manufactured crisis in Manipur: Cong

The Congress on Monday accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of abandoning all responsibility for the "BJP-manufactured crisis" in Manipur and asked why is he "protecting" Chief Minister N Biren Singh. Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh attacked the BJP ahead of Home Minister Amit Shah's poll campaign engagements in the violence-hit state. "The Prime Minister has abandoned all responsibility for the BJP-manufactured crisis in Manipur. However, his Home Minister has found the time to campaign in the state today, and we hope he takes the initiative to answer a few questions on behalf of the PM," Ramesh said in a post on X. Since May 3, 2023, when large-scale violence broke out in Manipur, the prime minister has not visited the state even once, he said. "He (Modi) has not even given an appointment to, or taken a call from, the Chief Ministers, MLAs, or any other political representatives of the state. In fact, he has barely even acknowledged the crisis, barring a three-minute sp

Kukis, Meitis unite on one point - not right time for LS polls in Manipur

The Kukis and Meitis may be at loggerheads in Manipur but their thoughts on one point converge -- this is not the right time for Lok Sabha elections in the restive state. It has nearly been a year since ethnic violence broke out between the hill-majority Kukis and the valley-majority Meitis. It has not only killed over 200 people and displaced around 50,000 but also sharply divided Manipur along ethnic lines. Elections for two Lok Sabha seats in Manipur will be held on April 19 and 26. While Inner Manipur and some segments of Outer Manipur will vote in the first phase, the remaining segments of Outer Manipur will go to polls on April 26. Living separately and refusing to co-exist in future, many members of both Kukis and Meitis communities ask - why elections at this time and what difference will they make? "Our demand is clear - we want a separate administration for the Kuki Zo community. For years the development has only been in the valley and not our areas and after what has ..

Special polling booths arranged for 5K voters displaced by Manipur violence

All arrangements to enable displaced people to vote have been made in accordance with the guidance received from the central government

Battleground 2024: Ahead of Lok Sabha polls, Manipur counts its losses

GST mop-up falls 24% to Rs 1,095 crore in FY24

SC to hear plea for voting facilities for 18k displaced people in Manipur

The Supreme Court said on Monday it will hear a plea seeking voting facilities for around 18,000 people displaced internally due to the ethnic strife in Manipur for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. The polling for two Lok Sabha seats of Manipur will be held in two phases on April 19 and 26. The plea was mentioned for urgent hearing before a bench comprising Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud and Justices J B Pardiwala and Manoj Misra, with the counsel telling the court that the first phase of polling has to take place on April 19. "There are 18,000 internally displaced people. They want to vote in the elections in Manipur," the lawyer said. "I will give you an early date," the CJI assured the advocate. Manipur has been caught in a spiral of violence since May 2023. More than 160 people have been killed and several hundred injured since ethnic violence first broke out in the state on May 3 when a 'Tribal Solidarity March' was organised in the hill districts to protest against the major

Right to live before right to vote: Common refrain in Manipur relief camps

"Why should I vote to elect a representative of a place which is no longer mine... elections mean nothing to us," says a distraught Nobi who lost her home 11 months ago to ethnic violence in Manipur, and is living in a relief camp. The 42-year-old is not alone as 'right to live before right to vote' and 'peace before polls' was the common refrain of many who have not been able to return to their home due to recurrent clashes and lingering hostilities between the warring ethnic groups in the northeast state. The state has traditionally seen a very high voter turnout with more than 82 per cent polling recorded in the 2019 elections. But the ethnic violence has cast a shadow on the polls this time around with several civil society groups and the affected people questioning the relevance of holding elections in the current circumstances. "The government hasn't been able to ensure my right to live with dignity and they are going to ensure my right to vote?" Nobi asks. "My house was burn

LS polls: Over 24k displaced people in Manipur to vote from relief camps

Eleven months of conflict, over 50,000 displaced people and a prevailing anti-poll sentiment in a section - the Election Commission in violence-hit Manipur is gearing up for the challenging task of holding Lok Sabha elections in the state in less than two weeks even as the campaign scene is muted so far. Chief Electoral Officer Pradeep Kumar Jha said over 24,500 displaced people have been identified as eligible to vote and special polling arrangements have been made in relief camps to enable them to exercise their franchise. "A total of 2,955 polling stations will be set up in the state for the Lok Sabha elections, out of which around 50 per cent have been identified as sensitive, vulnerable or critical. We are also setting up 94 special polling stations to facilitate voting by internally displaced persons (IDPs), Jha told PTI. According to the Election Commission of India (ECI) norms, a 'vulnerability mapping' of hamlets, villages and electoral segments that may be expose to threat

Traders at Manipur's women-run Ima market question relevance of elections

Amidst the lingering aftermath of ethnic conflicts, the women traders at Manipur's iconic 'Ima market' -- the only market in the world run entirely by women -- have expressed a deafening lack of enthusiasm towards the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. Questioning the relevance of the electoral process amidst the ongoing turmoil, the women traders from various market associations, are contemplating a boycott of the polls with their major grievance being -- "the nation forgot Manipur". Nema Devi, a seasoned fish vendor at the market, reflects the sentiment shared by many, emphasising the absence of tangible change despite months of unrest. "Even 11 months after the violence, there has not been a resolution and no restoration of peace. We continue to live by the rule of taking one day at a time. Living in continuous fear and going ahead with our usual lives. "What will change with the elections? The nation, the government, everybody forgot Manipur," 52-year-old Devi, who has been running

Hailstorm hit several parts of Manipur; buildings damaged in villages

The northeastern states are experiencing heavy rainfall, which has caused severe infrastructural damage in the region. In Assam, a portion of the roof collapsed at the Guwahati airport

Lok Sabha polls: Law minister of conflict-torn Manipur gets BJP ticket

Thounaojam Basanta Kumar Singh will replace the sitting MP and Union Minister Rajkumar Ranjan Singh, who represents the Inner Manipur constituency since 2019

Impossible to hold UPSC prelims exams in state: Manipur govt tells Delhi HC

Citing the conflict situation in Manipur, the state government asks UPSC to arrange for alternative centres in nearby states, the travel cost to be borne by the govt.

Polls in outer Manipur to be in 2 phases; voting from relief camps allowed

Voting in the Outer Manipur constituency will be held in two phases, and those living in camps in violence-hit state will be allowed to vote from their camps, Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar said on Saturday. As the Election Commission announced the dates for Lok Sabha polls, queries were raised over the number of seats totalling up to 544, instead of 543. Kumar said the increase was due to Outer Manipur being counted twice, since polls will be held there in two phases. The elections for two Lok Sabha seats in Manipur will be held in two phases on April 19 and 26. While Inner Manipur and some segments of Outer Manipur will vote in the first phase on April 19, the remaining segments of Outer Manipur will vote in Phase 2 on April 26. Asked about the situation in Manipur, the Chief Election Commissioner said, "we will make all arrangements." "We have drawn a scheme, which we have notified... to allow the voters in the camp to vote from the camp. Like there is a scheme for J

Manipur govt to introduce grading system in class 10 board examination

At least 37,715 students including 18,628 female students are appearing for the matriculation examination which is being held from March 15 to April 8 in 154 examination centres

3,483 violence-hit farmers to get compensation in 1st phase: Manipur CM

Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh on Monday said 3,483 violence-hit farmers in the state have been selected for the "first phase of compensatory crop package". During the launch of the programme, Singh said, "In all, 3,483 have been selected as beneficiaries after verification by deputy commissioners. Another 2,399 have issues related with documents including Aadhar authentication and bank documents and have been sent for reverification by the DCs concerned." "The Centre has also allotted Rs 38.60 crore for the affected farmers out of which Rs 18.37 crore has been released for the first phase" Singh said. Churachandpur district has 1,137 affected farmers followed by Bishnupur (1,031), Imphal East (360) and Kangpokpi (272), he added.

Manipur violence: SC seeks report from state, CBI, NIA on status of probe

The Supreme Court on Monday directed the Manipur government, CBI and the NIA to file reports elaborating on the status of probe and the charge sheets filed in cases of ethnic-violence to help it take a decision on whether the trials can commence in Assam or be undertaken in Manipur. The top court, meanwhile, made it clear that it cannot issue directions to the state government and law enforcement agencies to maintain law and order in Manipur in the wake of a spate of violent incidents, armed protests, blocking of the highways and the attack on the residence of a district collector in the last two months. These are the matters where this court cannot give directions. We cannot be issuing directions to the civil society organisations to maintain law and order...The state government is there to maintain law and order, said the bench comprising Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud and justices JB Pardiwla and Manoj Misra. It asked Attorney General R Venkataramani, appearing for the state ...

Peace gradually returning to state, efforts are being taken: Manipur CM

Manipur Chief Minister N. Biren Singh on Monday said peace has been gradually returning to the state, particularly over the last four months. Addressing the public at a function for the distribution of welfare benefits, Singh said, "We are working hard for peace to return. Peace has begun to return in the last four months compared to the period following the outbreak of violence on May 3 last year." Reflecting on the May 3 incident, Singh expressed regret, saying, "What was unfortunate was that we didn't anticipate there would be targeted and deliberate attacks on the government." Singh elaborated, "We thought it was a simple rally for the students," referring to the rally organised by the All Tribal Students Union Manipur against the demand for Scheduled Tribe status by the Meitei community. Singh, however, pointed out that the attacks were isolated to one or two places, with no incidents reported in other parts of the hill districts. "At that time, security personnel and police

Indian Army personnel abducted in Manipur, fourth case since conflict

Manipur is reeling under sporadic incidents of violence since an ethnic conflict began in the northeastern state on May 3. More than 200 people have lost their lives in the violence

Talks, negotiations only way to bring peace in Manipur: Kiren Rijiju

Union minister Kiren Rijiju on Thursday said negotiations are the only means to restore peace in ethnic violence-hit Manipur and returning the state to normalcy will be the Narendra Modi government's next phase of efforts. Rijiju put the blame for the ongoing ethnic clashes between the Meitei and Kuki communities in the northeastern state on a Manipur High Court order recommending Scheduled Tribe (ST) status to the Meiteis. The violence has claimed at least 219 lives in the restive state. Rijiju said the problem in Manipur was not an uprising against the BJP-led Centre but ethnic clashes between two dominant groups -- the Meiteis and the Kukis. "If anyone wants to help restore peace in Manipur, then first go and appeal to both the Meities and the Kukis that do not pick up arms. An armed struggle will not lead to a solution. Peaceful negotiations are the only means to achieve a peaceful atmosphere and get normalcy back. That will be the next phase of our efforts to bring development

Manipur introduces 'no work, no pay' rule for officials who remained absent

The Manipur government on Wednesday introduced a "no-work, no-pay" rule for its employees who have remained absent from office "without valid and accepted reasons." An office memorandum by the department of personnel and administrative reforms said, "Officials who are unable to attend office at their usual place of posting on account of the prevailing law and order situation in the state had been attached with Deputy Commissioners/line departments/field level offices to enable them to function therefrom, or for discharging such responsibilities as may be assigned to them, by the Deputy Commissioners concerned, or such authorities duly authorised in this regard." It further stated that there have been reports that "many such officials so attached are not attending offices to which they have been attached or not reporting for duty." Deputy commissioners, heads of departments have been informed to maintain register to record attendances of the said "attached officials", the circular ..

Will continue to provide relief to Myanmar, B'desh, Manipur people: Mizoram

The Mizoram government will continue to provide relief to over 42,000 people from Myanmar, Bangladesh and Manipur who have taken shelter in the state, Home Minister K Sapdanga told the assembly on Monday. Replying to a question, he said the number of asylum seekers from Myanmar and Bangladesh, and those who have come here from Manipur keep changing, and it was difficult to maintain a record on a daily basis. According to the latest record of the Home Department, there are 9,248 people from Manipur, 32,161 people from Myanmar and 1,167 from Bangladesh in the state, he said. "We will continue to provide relief to asylum seekers from Myanmar and Bangladesh, and internally displaced people from Manipur on humanitarian grounds as much as we can," Sapdanga said, replying to the question asked by MNF MLA K Laldawngliana. He said the Centre provided Rs 3 crore to the previous Mizo National Front (MNF) government for the assistance of the people from Myanmar, Bangladesh and Manipur. Last w