Page 20 - Northeast India

Manipur cabinet asks Governor Uikey to summon Assembly on August 21

The Northeast state has been in the throes of violence, claiming over 100 lives so far and displacing thousands of people

Curfew relaxed for 7 hrs in twin districts of Imphal for essential shopping

The Manipur government relaxed the curfew in Imphal East and West districts for seven hours from 5 am on Friday to facilitate common people to purchase essential items, officials said. Following fresh violence in various parts of the ethnic strife-torn state, the administration had on Thursday imposed a total curfew in the two districts as a precautionary measure, withdrawing relaxations announced earlier. The curfew was relaxed on Friday from 5 am to 12 pm "to facilitate the general public to purchase essential commodities, including medicines and food items", according to orders issued by districts magistrates of Imphal East and West. Over 25 people were injured in clashes as Army and RAF personnel fired tear gas shells in Kangvai and Phougakchao areas in Bishnupur district on Thursday to stop processions from proceeding to a proposed burial site, violating restrictions on gatherings. A Manipur Rifles policeman was killed and one person injured in a gunfight at Senjam Chirang in

Around Rs 3.37 trn spent for development in NE states in past 9-yrs: Govt

The government has spent Rs 3.37 lakh crore for development works in northeastern states in the past nine years, Union Minister Anurag Thakur informed Rajya Sabha on Thursday. Replying to a question on sports infrastructure facilities in the Northeast, the minister highlighted the work done by the Modi government in the last nine years for the overall development of the region. In the last nine years, the road network in the Northeast has been expanded to around 16,000 km from 8,480 km to improve connectivity, the youth affairs and sports minister said in a written reply. He added that the number of airports have been doubled in the last nine years and rail connectivity is being improved. "Prime Minister (Narendra Modi) has visited the Northeast 60 times in the last nine years," Thakur said, adding that this shows the commitment and seriousness of the government for the development of the region. Currently, Thakur, said 1,350 projects worth Rs 15,760 crore, across all departments

Curfew relaxation period increased by 1 hour in 2 Manipur districts

The Manipur government has extended the curfew relaxation period by one hour in Imphal East and West districts in view of improvement in law and order situation, an official statement said. The curfew relaxation period in the twin Imphal districts was now from 5 am to 8 pm. Separate orders issued by the office of the district magistrates of the two districts said that "there is a considerable improvement in law and order and there is a need to relax the restriction of movement to facilitate general public to purchase essential items including medicines and food items". The curfew relaxation period in other valley districts of Thoubal, Kakching and Bishnupur remained unchanged from 5 am to 5 pm. A separate press release issued by the Manipur Police Control Room stated that the "situation in the state was still volatile and tense but under control" and that "security forces conducted search operations in the vulnerable and fringe areas of the state". Meanwhile, Kom Union Manipur ...

84% people from northeast relocate for better medical facilities: Report

Most migrate due to a lack of availability of human resources and essential requirements such as hospital beds, physical infrastructure, drugs, and diagnostics

Bajrang Dal camp organisers booked for imparting arms training in school

Assam Police have registered a case against Bajrang Dal activists for organising an arms training camp at a school in Darrang district. The case was registered with Mangaldai police station under Section 153A/34 IPC (promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion, race, place of birth, residence, language, and doing acts prejudicial to the maintenance of harmony). ''Reference video related to training by Rashtriya Bajrang Dal at Maharishi Bidya Mandir, Mangaldai, a case has been registered vide Mangaldai PS case no 357 U/S 153A/34 IPC," Darrang Police tweeted. Assam Director General of Police G P Singh had directed the Darrang district superintendent of police to register a case and take lawful action against those allegedly involved in organising an arms training camp as seen in a video that has gone viral. ''Reference Mangaldai video-SP@ Darrang_Police has been instructed to register a case under appropriate sections of law and investigate the matter and take ..

Manipur women stage protest demanding removal of security forces from Moreh

Over 1,000 women on Monday staged a protest in Manipur's Churachandpur demanding immediate removal of state police forces from Moreh town. They have threatened to launch a massive agitation in all the hill districts if their demand is not met. On July 28, thousands of Kuki-Zo women in Tengnoupal district had blocked the road to Moreh, bordering Myanmar, to stop police forces from entering the town. A convoy of ten vehicles of security forces including the Indian Reserve Battalion, Manipur Rifles and commandoes were heading towards Moreh town when the womenfolk obstructed them at Tengnoupal. The protest by the women of Churachandpur comes a day after the opposition bloc INDIA on Sunday said if the conflict in Manipur is not resolved soon, it may create security problems for the whole nation. A delegation of the non-BJP coalition, which visited Manipur state for two days from Saturday, slammed Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his "silence", showing "brazen indifference" to the ongoi

SC refuses to entertain PIL seeking SIT probe into Manipur violence

The Supreme Court on Monday refused to entertain a fresh PIL on the Manipur violence seeking among other things a SIT probe into alleged poppy cultivation and narco-terrorism. It asked for a "more specific" petition and said this one was "very difficult" to entertain because it blamed only one community. Senior advocate Madhavi Diwan, appearing for the petitioner Mayanglambam Bobby Meetei, sought to withdraw the plea and was allowed to do so. This petition is very difficult to entertain because it places blame on one community, said the bench comprising Chief Justice D Y Chandcrachud and Justices J B Pardiwala and Manoj Misra. You can come with a more specific petition. This petition has everything from the violence to narcotics to deforestation, the bench said. Diwan referred to cross-border terrorism and poppy cultivation in the state as responsible for the recent violence. The plea made the Narcotics Control Bureau, the National Investigation Agency and the NHRC as well as the .

Missteps in Manipur may introduce dangerous dynamics in NE politics

Any demand for a separate ethnic state for the Zo people carved out of India, Myanmar and Bangladesh could rapidly worsen the security situation in India's northeast

Mizoram awaits govt's help to provide shelter to displaced Manipur citizens

The Mizoram government is still waiting for financial assistance from the Centre for providing shelter to over 12,600 people from ethnic strife-torn Manipur, a senior official said. Mizoram Home Commissioner and Secretary H Lalengmawia said that Chief Minister Zoramthanga had, in May, sought Rs 10 crore as an immediate relief package for those displaced people. "We have not received any assistance from the Centre so far. The state government has raised funds on its own to provide relief to internally displaced people from Manipur," Lalengmawia told PTI on Sunday. He hoped that the Centre would soon sanction funds for these people, who have taken shelter in Mizoram after the ethnic violence broke out in the neighbouring state on May 3. Lalengmawia also said the Mizoram administration has solicited donations from legislators, government employees, bankers and others. "We have completed the collection and I am yet to receive a report of the total collected amount," he said. Accordin

Meghalaya CM calls for political parties to engage on issues in Northeast

Stressing the significance of dialogue, communication, and discussion, he expressed optimism in finding peaceful resolutions to the issues at hand

DCW chief meets undercare Manipur BJP MLA, writes to party chief Nadda

Delhi Commission for Women Chairperson Swati Maliwal on Saturday said she has been to see Manipur's BJP MLA Vungzagin Valte who is undergoing medical treatment here and has even asked party chief J P Nadda to visit the lawmaker. In her letter on Saturday, a copy of which she shared on Twitter, the DCW chief also urged the BJP chief to extend financial assistance to Valte from the "party's funds." Manipur government spokesperson and Information and Public Relations Minister Sapam Rajan had on Thursday dismissed media reports that claimed that the state government had not taken medical care of Valte after he was injured in an attack in the initial days of the ongoing ethnic strife that broke out in May. "We took care (of him) and regularly got updates on his health condition, even after he was discharged from the hospital. The government condemned the incident. BJP state president Sarda Devi and minister Th Basanta Singh also met him in a hospital in Delhi," he said. Maliwal also sha

CBI takes over probe in case of sexual assault on 2 women by mob in Manipur

The CBI has taken over the investigation in a case of alleged sexual assault on two women by a mob in Manipur in May, officials said on Saturday. A video purportedly shot on May 4, showing the two women being paraded naked, went viral earlier this month, resulting in a massive uproar across the country. The case was handed over to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on a reference from the Union home ministry, the officials said. The CBI has taken over the FIR registered by the Manipur Police against unidentified people in accordance with its procedure.

Chennai publisher held for alleged comments on judiciary over Manipur issue

Chennai-based publisher and blogger Badri Seshadri was arrested on Saturday for his alleged comments on judiciary while discussing Manipur violence in an interview to a Youtube channel. The arrest was made early this morning by the Perambalur district police following a complaint from a lawyer Kaviarasu, a resident of Kunnam, who claimed that he was disturbed by Seshadri's views on the judiciary, during an interview to a Youtube channel on July 22. The police booked cases under IPC sections 153 (provocation with intent to cause riot), 153 A (1) (a) (promote enmity between groups through words), 505 (1) (b) (causing fear and alarm in public) against him. Condemning the arrest, BJP state chief K Annamalai accused the ruling DMK of resorting to arrests as it was unable to handle opinions expressed by the common man.

21 members Opposition delegation on two-day visit to Manipur from today

The opposition has decided to send a delegation of 21 Members of Parliament from 16 parties to the state

Railway Board accords FLS approval for 140-km-long Zubza-Imphal project

The Railway Board has accorded its approval for the final location survey (FLS) of the 140-km-long new railway line project between Zubza in Nagaland and Manipur's capital Imphal. The Zubza-Imphal project will provide direct connectivity between the two northeastern states, resulting in better railway traffic mobility, a North East Frontier Railway (NFR) release said on Friday. The direct connectivity will reduce time of travel and cost and distance of transportation of materials, giving a major socio-economic boost to the region. Infrastructural development such as new stations, road connectivity and goods yards will lead to overall economic growth of the nearby districts, the release stated. Goods movement will become seamless leading to major cost reduction for existing businesses using freight services, it said. Work for the Dimapur-Kohima new railway line project from Dhansiri station of Assam to Zubza adjacent to Kohima is also in progress. Also, work on the Jiribam-Imphal

Cops try to nab those who are passing off Myanmar video as Manipur incident

Manipur Police said efforts were underway, by tracing IP addresses, to nab those responsible for circulating a "fake news" item in which a video of the killing of a woman in neighbouring Myanmar was being passed off as an incident that took place in the northeastern state. Cyber Crime police station has registered an FIR in this connection and is investigating the matter. The video shows the killing of a woman by armed men in Myanmar. The clip was being circulated to incite rioting and efforts are on to arrest those who are spreading the fake news, the police tweeted. "FIR registered for spreading fake news: On 24/07/2023, Cyber Crime Police Station (CCPS), Manipur registered a case in connection with the viral video of a woman being assaulted and killed by a mob including armed men (which happened in Myanmar), which has been falsely depicted as a case of Manipur. "Attempt is made to identify and arrest the accused persons for spreading false news with intent to disturb public ...

Oppn protests in Parliament premises, demands PM's statement on Manipur

Leaders of several opposition parties on Monday staged a protest in Parliament complex demanding that Prime Minister Narendra Modi make a statement in the House on the Manipur issue. Holding placards and banners that read "INDIA for Manipur" and "INDIA demands PM's statement on Manipur", the opposition parties raised slogans against the government in front of Mahatma Gandhi's statue in Parliament complex. Speaking to reporters, Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge said it is the prime minister's duty to make a comprehensive statement in Parliament on Manipur violence. "It is shameful that the prime minister is making a statement outside the House, when Parliament is in session. It is his duty to make a comprehensive statement inside Parliament on Manipur violence," the Congress leader said. "We are requesting the Chairman of Rajya Sabha and the Speaker of Lok Sabha that the PM should make a statement on the situation in Manipur. We want a discussion under Rule 16

Manipur Naga groups demand inmediate justice for women paraded naked

Several Naga civil society organisations in Manipur, including the powerful United Naga Council, All Naga Students' Association Manipur (ANSAM) and Naga People's Front, have strongly condemned the inhuman act committed against the two women by a mob on May 4. The UNC asked the Manipur government to take up the case in a fast-track court to deliver justice instantly. The government must initiate necessary steps for immediate booking of all the people involved in such dehumanizing crime, the UNC said in a statement. Referring to the viral video clip, the UNC said the incident was extremely deplorable. The inhuman act meted out to the women who were stripped naked, groped and paraded in a broad daylight on the highway towards a paddy field is highly deplorable, the UNC said. The UNC said the beastly act of sexually assaulting right on the nose of the law enforcing agency and unleashing a reign of terror has shattered the basic principles of democracy. The prestige and dignity of our

Instruments of war: Bandit Queen to Manipur

A gendered perspective on conflict - local or international - is essential because women are often targeted as part of conflict strategy