Page 24 - Manipur

Peace talks should never compromise core issues of Manipur: CM Biren Singh

Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh on Wednesday asserted that any form of peace talks between the warring communities should not compromise the territorial integrity of the state and must ensure the protection of the indigenous population. Speaking at the launch of the 'Sankalp Patra' at the BJP party office here, Singh said, "The peace talks should not compromise the territorial integrity of the state and the well being of our indigneous people. We will not accept peace negotiations that dilute these fundamental issues." He added, "During his recent visit, Union Home Minister Amit Shah had unequivocally said the BJP is committed to preserving the unity of Manipur." Singh highlighted Shah's acknowledgment of attempts by illegal immigrants to disrupt the demographic balance in the state, stating, "This fact is unknown to the opposition." Speaking on the contents of the BJP manifesto, Singh said whatever Prime Minister Narendra Modi promises is always implemented. "Modi's compassi

Separating Kukis, Meiteis geographically against India: Cong candidate

Separating Kukis and Meiteis geographically in violence-hit Manipur in name of "safety" is against the "very idea" of India and should be condemned left, right and centre, said Congress' Lok Sabha poll candidate A Bimol Akoijam. An associate professor at Jawaharlal Nehru University's School of Social Sciences, Akoijam asserted that as long as the two communities continue to be citizens of the country, they will have to live and work together. The comments by Akoijam, 57, came amid demands by the Kuki-Zo community in Manipur for a separate administration. Equating the violence in Manipur to "Rwanda-like ethnic conflict", Akoijam alleged that the BJP-led government at the Centre and in the state has deliberately allowed the situation to aggravate in the state and claimed that there is some purpose behind it. "The kind of situation we are seeing...we don't believe that this can happen in a settled democracy like India...it almost sounds like an ethnic conflict like those happen in Rwa

Elections 2024: 'Won't allow Manipur to break apart', says Amit Shah

'The Lok Sabha election is a battle between the forces trying to break Manipur and those striving to keep it united,' said Amit Shah during a rally in Imphal

SC refuses plea for voting facilities to 18,000 displaced in Manipur polls

The Supreme Court on Monday refused to entertain 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 the two Lok Sabha seats of Manipur will be held in two phases on April 19 and 26. A bench comprising Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud and justices J B Pardiwala and Manoj Misra said interference of this court, particularly at this belated stage, would cause substantial impediments in the conduct of the ensuing general elections of the Lok Sabha for Manipur. "You have come at the last minute. At this stage, what can be virtually done? We cannot interfere at this stage," the bench said. The top court was hearing a plea by Manipur resident Naulak Khamsuanthang and others seeking a direction to the Election Commission of India (ECI) to make arrangements to enable internally-displaced persons settled outside Manipur to enable them to cast their votes in the Lok Sabha election

More Kuki-zo bodies announce poll boycott in Manipur following violence

More civil society organisations and bodies from the Kuki-zo community have announced that they will boycott the upcoming Lok Sabha polls, saying "no justice, no vote" following fresh incidents of violence in the conflict-hit state. While two people were killed in a gunfight that broke out between two armed groups in Imphal East district on Saturday, three people were injured in a gunbattle between armed village volunteers and unidentified people in Tengnoupal district on Friday. The Kukis have already declared that they are not fielding any candidate in the parliamentary polls as an act of boycott. The Global Kuki-Zomi-Hmar Women community, a group of Kuki-Zo women, including journalists, social workers, former Outer Manipur MP Kim Gangte and leaders of the Kuki-Zomi-Hmar women's forums in Delhi, had earlier written to Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Rajiv Kumar, informing him of its decision to boycott the polls. Following suit, two more bodies -- Kuki National Assembly and Kuk

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 ...