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Manipur seeing civil war, what BJP reduced Bharat to: Mahua Moitra
Mahua Moitra said what Manipur is witnessing is civil war. Rajya Sabha MP Saket Gokhale said it is no more ethnic clash, but ethnic cleansing by BJP.
Trinamool Lok Sabha MP Mahua Moitra on Thursday said the Manipur situation is civil war and what the strife-torn state is witnessing are war crimes after an old video of two women being paraded naked went viral shaking the country's conscience. This is what the BJP has reduced Bharat to, the Trinamool MP said as the opposition's INDIA (Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance) prepares to counter NDA's Bharat in Parliament over Manipur. Read | What sparked the raging ethnic strife in Manipur? Know history of Kuki-Meiti clashes
The clash between the Meitei and the Kuki communities in Manipur started on May 3. The violence continued unabated for the past 2.5 months with several cops losing their lives as hundreds have been killed in the ethnic strife.
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Trinamool Rajya Sabha MP Saket Gokhale said what is happening in Manipur is not an 'ethnic clash'. "It's ethnic cleansing being carried out by the BJP under the guidance and leadership of Home Minister Amit Shah and PM Narendra Modi," the Trinamool MP tweeted.
Since May 3, the internet has been suspended in the state and it was only on Wednesday that a video of two Kuki women being paraded naked by a mob surfaced triggering wide condemnation. According to reports, the women were gangraped and then killed. Union minister Smriti Irani said the horrific video of the sexual assault of two women was condemnable and downright inhuman.
Who are Kukis and Meiteis?
Kukis and Meiteis are two communities of Manipur who have been clashing as Kukis protest the Meitei community's demand for a Scheduled Tribes status. The Meitei community is dominant in Manipur and they are politically stronger. Kukis have a stronghold in Churachandpur, the epicentre of the clash.
The video of two Kuki women being paraded naked is from May 4, the second day of the clash. Some reports said the women were assaulted based on fake news that a Meitei woman was raped in Churachandpur, but there was no such incident
