Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh on Tuesday apologised for the ethnic conflict in the state which claimed over 250 lives and rendered thousands homeless, and appealed to all communities to forget and forgive past mistakes and live together in a peaceful and prosperous state.
'Prime Minister Narendra Modi should have called his MLAs and ministers and said 'this should not happen in India. Manipur is not a part of any banana republic, I will not allow this to happen, talk it out, what is the problem'
The autopsy report of the 31-year-old tribal woman, who was killed in Manipur's violence-hit Jiribam district on November 7, revealed that she was subjected to third-degree torture and suffered 99 per cent burns.
Drones are a new technology added recently to the weapons used in the violence between the two large ethnic groups -- Meitei and Kuki -- in the northeastern state, which left over 200 people dead since May last year.
A commando contingent of the Manipur police has been airlifted to Jiribam on Saturday morning from Imphal to assist in the security operations against the militants, police said.
'I have been asking whether the chief minister (N Biren Singh) is in charge of the situation in Manipur.' 'Law and order is a state subject and chief minister is a Constitutional authority. Why did he follow the diktat, if at all there is a diktat from the Union government?'
The top court asked the state government to spell out details of its actions taken against the culprits and the encroachers.
ESU coach Ngampao Kipgen, a member of the Kuki tribe, told Reuters he was forced to flee to the hills with his family after his house was burned down.
A protester was killed in firing during a clash between security forces and a mob vandalising properties in Manipur's Jiribam district. The incident occurred late on Sunday night when agitators were protesting the killing of women and children abducted by militants. The deceased has been identified as K Athouba, who was in his twenties. The offices of the Congress and BJP, and a house belonging to Jiribam's Independent MLA were ransacked by a group of agitators. Meanwhile, an uneasy calm prevailed in Imphal Valley, where curfew remained enforced and internet services suspended after agitators vandalised and set ablaze properties belonging to several ministers and legislators.
The shutdown was called by Kuki-Zo groups, including the Indigenous Tribal Leaders Forum (ITLF) and Kuki Students Organisation (KSO), in protest against Security Advisor Kuldiep Singh's statement about militants entering the state from outside.
The statement assured that "security forces are on high alert to protect the lives and property of citizens. All communities are assured of their safety," and advised the public to "not believe in any rumors or unverified news."
The meeting happened amid fresh violence in the state, in which at least five people were killed in Jiribam district on Saturday.
Curfew was relaxed in three Imphal Valley districts on Tuesday and the suspension on broadband internet lifted with conditions, even as Chief Minister N Biren Singh blamed the Congress for the present crisis in Manipur and NDA MLAs called for a "mass operation" against militants responsible for the killing of six women and children. Peaceful rallies were also staged across the state, with hundreds taking to the streets with empty coffins in Churachandpur district, demanding justice for those killed in a gunfight with the security forces in Jiribam, and members of various civil society organisations bringing out a procession in Imphal West district to protest the reimposition of AFSPA in parts of the state.
In violence-hit Manipur, the general buzz associated with elections and the related paraphernalia of posters, banners and rallies are missing but it is the presence of these brown boxes with pictures of guns that is symbolic of the strife-ridden society struggling to return to normalcy.
Singh said concerned with increasing deforestation and setting up of new villages by illegal immigrants, a Cabinet sub-committee was formed in February 2023 after a cabinet meeting attended by two Kuki ministers Letpao Haokip and Nemcha Kipgen.
'There is a list with the Ministry of Home Affairs that has the details and names of the terrorist organisations that attack the Indian Army.'
The fate of the soldier's aunt Neilam (55), brother-in-law Jamkhotang (40) and cousin Thangjam Haokip (25) still remain unknown.
Two Central Reserve Police Force personnel also sustained injuries during the heavy exchange of fire that happened at Jakurador Karong in the Borobekra sub-division, they said.
The move could virtually put an end to the Free Movement Regime prevalent along the porous border.
'We are in a dilemma if the central government supports this ethnic violence and Biren Singh.'
The FMR allows people residing close to the India-Myanmar border to venture 16 km into each other's territory without any documents.
People belonging to the Kuki-Zo community on Saturday took out three rallies in parts of Manipur to press their demand for a separate administration and protested against the viral audio clips allegedly of Chief Minister N Biren Singh, in which certain objectionable comments were made.
'Unfortunately, there is no movement towards peace in Manipur.'
The incident occurred at Ningthoukhong Kha Khunou and the victims included a man and his 60-year-old father.
Representatives from Kuki-Zo communities said their demands have crossed the point where they wanted President's rule to be imposed in the state, and now they see a Union Territory with legislature on the lines of Puducherry carved out of Manipur as the only solution to the ongoing strife.
This is the fourth incident since the commencement of the conflict in Manipur wherein soldiers while on leave, on duty or their relatives have been targeted for nefarious interests by inimical elements.
The rocket which fell on the compound of former chief minister Mairembam Koireng's residence seemed to be an improvised one.
'The state government, state forces, commandos, police, they are all with the Meiteis in attacking Kuki tribals.'
Women are on a sit-in at Chikim village, around 3 km from Tengnoupal district's Moreh, a Kuki majority town.
The Kukis have already declared that they are not fielding any candidate in the parliamentary polls as an act of boycott.
The deceased has been identified as Ajay Kumar Jha, 43, a resident of Bihar.
On Friday, April 19, 2024, at least four electronic voting machines were damaged at different polling booths in conflict-hit Manipur during the first phase of elections.
The Congress claimed that not inviting the Manipur CM to the meeting violated Schedule 7 of the Constitution.
The shootout occurred at a place between Haraothel and Kobsha villages though the police are not yet sure about how it began.
A man from Manipur, his wife and his sister were allegedly assaulted by a group of people from the same state in southeast Delhi's Sunlight Colony area, police said on Saturday.
The Supreme Court on Friday said it cannot go by sentiments and has to act in accordance with law, as it refused to entertain a petition seeking contempt action for alleged non-compliance with the apex court's order on protection of properties of people displaced during the Manipur violence.
The incident took place as several dozens of armed men opened indiscriminate fire on Koutruk village in the periphery of Imphal Valley from the adjoining hills in Kangpokpi district, a police officer said.
Gunmen, who are yet to be identified, arrived in camouflage dresses in the Lilong Chingjao area, and opened fire targeting locals, they said.
The notice said the country's oldest paramilitary force has been serving the nation, playing a crucial role in ensuring peace, security, and development in various regions, including Manipur.
Actors Lin Laishram and Randeep Hooda wed in a traditional Meitei wedding ceremony in Imphal, Manipur, on November 29, 2023.
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