Page 34 - Manipur

Violence continues in Manipur, but for Centre situation normal: Congress

The Congress on Wednesday attacked the Centre over strife in Manipur, saying the cycle of violence continues even after four months, but for the Modi government the situation is "normal" in the state. The opposition party's attack came after a full curfew was clamped in all five valley districts of Manipur Tuesday evening. In a post on X, Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said, "G20 is happening in New Delhi while all 5 districts of Imphal Valley will be under full curfew for the next 5 days." "The cycle of violence continues even after 4 months, but for Modi Sarkar's double engine Sarkar the situation is 'normal' in Manipur," he said. The cancellation of curfew relaxation hours in Bishnupur, Kakching, Thoubal, Imphal West and Imphal East comes in the wake of the call by the Coordinating Committee on Manipur Integrity (COCOMI) and its women wing requesting people from all parts of the valley districts to remove an army barricade at Phougakchao Ikhai in Bishnupur district, a

Full curfew reimposed in 5 districts of Manipur as preventive measure

Full curfew has been clamped in all the five valley districts of Manipur as a preventive measure from Tuesday evening, officials said. The cancellation of curfew relaxation hours in Bishnupur, Kakching, Thoubal, Imphal West and Imphal East comes in the wake of the call by the Coordinating Committee on Manipur Integrity (COCOMI) and its women wing requesting people from all parts of the valley districts to remove an army barricade at Phougakchao Ikhai in Bishnupur district, a few kilometres away from Churachandpur, on Wednesday, officials said. At present, there is curfew relaxation in all the five valley districts from 5 am to 6 pm daily. In a hurriedly called press conference, government spokesperson and Information and Public Relations Minister Sapam Ranjan said, "The government appeals to COCOMI to withdraw the proposed plan to storm the army barricade at Phougakchao Ikhai near Torbung on September 6." Sapam also requested all "to support the security steps taken up by the ...

India rejects unwarranted, misleading comments of UN experts on Manipur

India has strongly rejected comments by UN experts on Manipur, terming them unwarranted, presumptive and misleading and asserting that situation in the Northeast state is peaceful. In the note verbale issued on Monday to the Special Procedures Branch of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, the Indian mission underscored that the situation in Manipur was peaceful and stable and the Indian government was committed to taking requisite steps to maintain peace and stability. "The Government is also committed to protecting the human rights of the people of India, including the people of Manipur, it said. The Permanent Mission of India completely rejects the news release as it is not only unwarranted, presumptive and misleading but also betrays a complete lack of understanding on the situation in Manipur and the steps taken by Government of India to address it, said the Permanent Mission of India to the United Nations Office and other International Organizations in ...

Journalist bodies demand withdrawal of FIR against Editors Guild members

Journalist bodies on Monday condemned the registration of an FIR against the president and three members of the Editors Guild of India after it published a report of its fact-finding committee on the media coverage of the ethnic violence in Manipur. Terming it a case of "shooting the messenger", they said the action against the guild ill behoves the largest democracy in the world and the FIR should be withdrawn immediately. The Manipur Police has filed an FIR against the Editors Guild of India for allegedly promoting enmity between two communities, among other charges, over its report. Chief Minister N Biren Singh said the guild's members were "trying to create more clashes in the state of Manipur" and had "come to pour venom". In a statement issued here, the Press Club of India (PCI) demanded the withdrawal of the FIR. "It is a case of shooting the messenger rather than taking measures to restore peace in the state. We demand that the FIR against Editors Guild of India (EGI) ...

FIR filed Editors Guild members for report on media coverage: Manipur CM

Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh on Monday said that a police case has been filed on the basis of a complaint against the president and three members of the Editors Guild of India (EGI) for a report critiquing media coverage out of Manipur, and accused them of trying to provoke clashes in the state. The Editors Guild in a report published Saturday had slammed the internet ban in the state as being detrimental to media reportage, criticised what it termed as one-sided reporting by some media outlets and claimed there were indications that the state leadership had turned partisan during the conflict period. The Press Club of India joined a number of bodies in condemning the filing of the case against the EGI fact finding team and termed it as "a strong arm tactic by the state government which amounts to intimidation of the apex media body of the country". Singh claimed at a press conference here that at a time when many have been killed and left homeless, the EGI published a ...

Trying to create more clashes: Manipur CM on booking Editors Guild members

Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh on Monday said that his government has filed an FIR against the president and three members of the Editors Guild of India, and accused them of trying to create more clashes in the state which is rocked by ethnic strifes for nearly four months. The Editors Guild recently claimed that the media's reports on the ethnic violence in Manipur were one-sided and accused the state leadership of being partisan. The state government has filed an FIR against the members of the Editors Guild who are trying to create more clashes in the state of Manipur, Singh said. Those booked are the President of the Editors Guild Seema Mustafa, and three members - Seema Guha, Bharat Bhushan and Sanjay Kapoor. Guha, Bhushan and Kapoor visited the state last month to study media reportage of the ethnic violence. The chief minister also said that they should have met the representatives of all communities and not some sections only before coming to a conclusion.

4-months after ethnic violence, Manipur lies 'forgotten' by Centre: Cong

The Congress on Monday attacked the Centre over its handling of the situation in Manipur, alleging that four months after ethnic violence broke out, the state lies "forgotten" by the Modi government. Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said that in the last four months, the world has witnessed "how the prime minister (Narendra Modi) has failed Manipur during its worst crisis". In a post on X, Ramesh alleged that "while the prime minister and his drum-beaters are obsessed with G20, four months after ethnic violence broke out on May 3rd, Manipur lies forgotten by the Modi government". The chief minister (N Biren Singh) has ensured that the Manipuri society is more divided today than ever before, he said. "The Union home minister (Amit Shah) has failed to put an end to the violence and ensure the recovery of arms and ammunition. Instead, many more armed groups have entered the conflict," Ramesh said. The prime minister "refuses" to visit Manipur, or lead an all-party delegation,

Manipur govt shifts last of 10 Kuki families in Imphal to Kangpokpi

The Manipur government has shifted the last of 10 Kuki families comprising 24 members from Imphal's New Lambulane area where they had been living for decades and did not move elsewhere even after the ethnic violence broke out in Manipur four months ago. These families were taken to the Kuki-dominated Kangpokpi district on the northern side of Imphal Valley early on Saturday, as they had become "vulnerable targets", an official said. The last of 10 Kuki families were provided "safe passage" to Motbung, in Kangpokpi district, some 25 km from Imphal, he said. But Kuki families alleged that they were forcibly evicted from their residences in the New Lambulane area to Motbung. S Prim Vaiphei, one of the volunteers guarding the Kuki locality in the heart of Imphal, said that a "team of uniformed armed personnel claiming to be acting under directions from the Home Department came to New Lambulane, Imphal in the intervening night of September 1 and 2 and forcibly evicted the last remaining

Mary Kom writes to Shah for protection of Kom villages in Manipur

Boxing star M C Mary Kom has sought the intervention of Union Home Minister Amit Shah to ensure "security forces prevent both warring groups from intrusion to Kom villages in Manipur." In a letter to Shah on Thursday she said the Kom community is an indigenous tribe of Manipur and one of the smallest among the minorities. "We are all dispersed between the two rivalling communities... there are always speculations and doubts against my community from both sides, and are caught in the middle of all problems... due to weak internal administration and tiny size as a community among the minority tribes, we have not been able to stand against any forces that intrude into our jurisdiction. "We seek the help of the security forces to prevent both warring groups from intrusion into Kom villages," the Padma Vibhushan awardee said. The former Rajya Sabha member requested all the deployed members of the Indian Army, Paramilitary, and state forces to be impartial in carrying out their ...

8 killed, 18 injured in Manipur violence since August 29: Officials

At least eight persons have been killed and 18 injured, including two security personnel, in Manipur's Bishnupur and Churachandpur districts following continuous gunbattle between Kukis and Meiteis over the last 72 hours, officials said on Thursday. An official said firing was continuing intermittently in the foothills of Khoirentak in Bishnupur district and adjoining Chingphei and Khousabung areas in Churachandpur district. Violence started on August 29 when a village volunteer aged around 30 years was killed following heavy firing in Khoirentak area, an official said. Another person died when a country-made gun he was using misfired and hit him on his face near Narainsena village in Bishnupur on the same day, officials said. According to officials, fresh round of firing between the two groups started on Thursday morning after a few hours of lull since Wednesday evening. A person who sustained bomb splinter injuries on his head in Wednesday's violence died on the way to Guwahati

Manipur violence: CBI takes over 27 FIRs, including 19 crimes against women

The CBI has taken over the investigation in 27 FIRs lodged in connection with ethnic clashes in Manipur that have claimed more than 160 lives in nearly four months, officials said. According to the latest data, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has so far registered 27 cases handed over to it by the state police -- 19 cases of crime against women, three related to an armoury loot by a mob, two of murder and one each of rioting and murder, kidnapping and general criminal conspiracy, sources aware of the developments said. The agency has re-registered these cases but has not made the details public because of the sensitive nature of the situation prevailing in the northeastern state, they said. CBI teams have started questioning the suspects and victims after visiting the crime sites, the sources added. The investigation gained momentum after the CBI top brass mobilised a team of 53 officers, including 29 women, drawn from various units of the federal agency across the countr

Manipur Assembly adjourned sine die after ruckus by Congress MLAs

The one-day session of the Manipur Assembly was adjourned sine die within an hour of commencement after Congress MLAs created a ruckus demanding that the session be extended to five days. The opposition MLAs led by former chief minister Okram Ibobi Singh said one day was not enough to discuss the prevailing situation in the ethnic strife-torn state. All the 10 Kuki MLAs were absent from the House. The proceedings began at 11 am with two-minute silence for those killed in the ethnic violence between Meiteis and Kukis that began on May 3. Chief Minister N Biren Singh, in his address, said, "With great sorrow, we condole the deaths of those killed in the violence. In times like these, words seem inefficient for those who have lost their loved ones in the strife." The House resolved that all differences should be addressed through dialogue and peaceful means for communal harmony in the state. The House also lauded the successful landing of Chandrayaan-3 on Moon and congratulated scie

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Security forces arrest 4 insurgents in search operations in Manipur

The police stated that search operations were conducted by security forces in the fringe and vulnerable areas of Imphal-West, Imphal-East, Bishnupur, Thoubal and Kakching districts

Why peace and stability remain elusive in Manipur

Merely calling a special session of the Manipur Legislative Assembly, a demand by both Meitei civil society organisations and the Congress Party, is unlikely to chart a path to peace in Manipur

Manipur tribal organisations oppose convening of assembly session on Aug 29

The Committee on Tribal Unity (CoTU) and the Indigenous Tribal Leaders Forum (ITLF) have denounced the convening of the Manipur Assembly session on August 29 saying the present situation is not conducive for Kuki-Zo MLAs to attend. In a joint statement on Sunday, both the organisations said considering the complete breakdown of law and order and the failure of the state government in protecting the lives of the common people and officials, convening the session "is devoid of logic and rationality." The Business Advisory Committee (BAC) of Manipur Legislative Assembly on Saturday had decided to hold a one-day session on Tuesday. "Since the outbreak of the current ethnic violence in May, Imphal valley has witnessed the lynching of more than a hundred innocent people and destruction of thousands of houses. Even the lives and properties of ministers and MLAs were not spared," the joint statement said. "If the state government is really concerned about bringing back normalcy, it should

Three houses burnt in Manipur's Imphal, policemen's guns snatched

Unidentified men torched three abandoned houses at New Lambulane locality in Manipur's capital Imphal on Sunday afternoon. Firemen rushed to the spot and put off the blaze, officials said. Soon after the incident, people gathered in the area and demanded state and central forces deployed in the locality to allow them to enter the area, officials said, adding that the security forces later fired a few rounds of tear gas shells to disperse the crowd. In another development, unidentified men snatched three weapons from the security personnel guarding the residence of former health and family welfare director K Rajo around 2am on Sunday, police said. The incident took place at Sagolband Bijoy Govinda under Imphal PS in Imphal West district, police said, adding the snatched weapons included two AK series rifles and a carbine. Investigation is on to determine the circumstances leading to the incident, officials said. Police, meanwhile, have launched multiple operations to retrieve the

Upcoming Manipur assembly session just an eyewash, says Congress

Former Manipur chief minister and Congress leader Okram Ibobi Singh on Saturday said the upcoming assembly session on August 29 is just an eyewash and not in public interest. Speaking to reporters at the Congress Bhavan here, Okram said, "I attended the meeting of the business advisory committee (BAC) today (Saturday) and learnt that the session will be just for a day. Since it is a constitutional obligation to hold a session before September 2, Tuesday's session has been called." "The agenda is going to be obituary references," Okram said, adding, "In my experience, on a day when obituary references are taken up, no other business is discussed." Members of the BAC held a meeting to discuss the time allocation of business for the one-day session. "As a member of the committee, I suggested that the session be held at least for five days to discuss the unprecedented situation in the state. The opposition has just four or five members. We are not here to criticise the government, but

SC transfers Manipur violence cases investigated by CBI to Assam HC

In a significant development, the Supreme Court Friday transferred to neighbouring Assam 17 Manipur violence cases being probed by the CBI, including the sexual assault case of two women seen in a viral video being paraded naked, and asked the Chief Justice of the Gauhati High Court to nominate one or more judicial officers to deal with them. The top court passed a slew of directions on judicial procedures, including the virtual examination of victims and witnesses by courts, saying they have been issued at the present stage, bearing in mind the overall environment in Manipur and the need for ensuring a fair process of criminal justice administration. A bench comprising Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud and Justices J B Pardiwala and Manoj Misra rejected the submissions of many lawyers, who were opposed to transfer of CBI cases to Assam, and accepted the submissions of Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the Centre and the Manipur government, that the suggestion has been made .

Manipur CM, cabinet minister leave for Delhi; likely to meet Amit Shah

Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh along with a few of his cabinet colleagues went to New Delhi on Thursday, officials said. During the visit to the national capital, Singh is expected to meet Union Home Minister Amit Shah to discuss the situation in his state, where ethnic clashes broke out in May, they said. Singh and his colleagues went to Delhi in a chartered flight, and are likely to return to the state at night, they added. Among those accompanying the CM are state ministers Govindas Konthoujam and Sapam Ranjan, officials said.