'Manipur turned into battlefield…sack ‘incompetent’ CM': Kharge slams PM Modi over violence
Blaming the saffron party for the violence, the Congress President called Manipur chief minister N Biren Singh “incompetent” and urged PM Modi to sack him.
Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge on Wednesday hit out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP government over the ongoing tensions and violence in Manipur, saying that the northeastern state has been turned into a “battlefield”.
“For 147 days, people of Manipur are suffering, but PM Modi does not have time to visit the state…The horrific images of students being targeted in this violence has once again shocked the entire nation. It is now apparent that violence against women and children was weaponised in this strife,” Kharge wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter.
Read more: Manipur reimposes ban on mobile internet services for 5 days after fresh protests
Blaming the saffron party for the violence, the Congress President called Manipur chief minister N Biren Singh “incompetent” and urged PM Modi to sack him. “This would be the first step to control any further turmoil,” he said.
Fresh tensions gripped Manipur over the killing of two students belonging to the Meitei community who had gone missing in July. Soon after the mobile internet services were restored in the state on Tuesday, the photos of the two students went viral on social media in which they can be seen sitting at the grassy compound of what appears to be a makeshift jungle camp of an armed group.
Students and residents began protests in full force. The protesters also clashed with police and Rapid Action Force (RAF) personnel, with 25 to 30 demonstrators sustaining injuries.
Meanwhile, a team of Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) officials led by the agency's Special Director Ajay Bhatnagar will be reaching Imphal on Wednesday to investigate the alleged “killing and kidnapping” of the two students. Reportedly, the team will comprise officers who have expertise in special crime, crime scene recreation, interrogation, and technical surveillance.
Manipur violence
Violence in Manipur first began on May 3 after clashes broke out during a 'Tribal Solidarity March' to protest against the majority Meitei community's demand for Scheduled Tribe status. While the Meiteis account for about 53 percent of Manipur's population, tribals including Nagas and Kukis constitute 40 percent of the total population.
Since May, over 175 people have been killed and several hundreds have been injured in the ethnic clashes in the state.
