New Delhi: Days after violent clashes in Manipur, the Congress and the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) on Friday urged President Draupadi Murmu to impose President’s rule in the northeastern state. In a video statement, Congress spokesperson Supriya Shrinate said, “Manipur has been burning for the last few days. Due to the violence, internet has been shut down and curfew has been imposed in eight of the 16 districts.”
Shrinet said that the Indian Railways has also suspended train operations in Manipur in view of the violence and even the government has issued ‘shoot at sight’ orders in the northeastern state.
Hitting out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah, the Congress leader said, “BJP ministers and MLAs and even Olympic medalist and Rajya Sabha member Mary Kom asked the Prime Minister and Home Minister to save Manipur from burning.” had urged The Prime Minister and the Home Minister are busy campaigning for the Karnataka Assembly elections and have no time for Manipur.
Hitting out at the government, he said, “Is it not the moral responsibility of the Prime Minister and the Home Minister to pay full attention to Manipur?” In Karnataka, Amit Shah had said that if BJP comes to power, he will not allow riots to happen. How did the riots happen in Manipur? Amit Shah has been a complete failure as Home Minister.
“Considering the present situation, the President should immediately invoke Article 356 or President’s rule in Manipur to bring law and order under control,” he demanded.
Manipur, an important state in the North-East of our country, has been burning for the last 3-4 days. Arson is taking place, people’s lives are in jeopardy as violence has taken a more extreme form there. Curfew has been imposed in half the state i.e. 8 out of 16 districts and internet has been shut down in the entire state. Indian Rail… pic.twitter.com/45XMjk8Gqz— Supriya Shrinate (@SupriyaShrinate) May 5, 2023
Expressing similar views, RJD Rajya Sabha MP Manoj Jha also wrote a letter to President Murmu demanding imposition of President’s rule in Manipur. In a letter to the President, the RJD spokesperson said, “I am writing to express my deep concern about the recent violence in Manipur, which is alarmingly widespread and has resulted in loss of life and property ”
He added that “as you are aware, Manipur has a complex ethnic and political landscape, with many communities living in the region.” Jha also pointed out that ethnic conflicts with their roots in the colonial era have been a significant challenge for the state.
“The demand for Scheduled Tribe status for the Meitei community has been a contentious issue, with other communities in Manipur opposing it. The issue has given rise to violence and protests in the past, and the recent increase in violence is a serious concern The situation has worsened recently due to the partisan attitude of the state government and complete failure to maintain law and order.”
“Your Excellency! You would be aware that the violence has affected innocent citizens, disrupted normal life, and created an atmosphere of fear and insecurity. Majoritarian violence in one state of the country can lead to similar violence in the rest of the country. Gives message of impunity and provides encouragement to destabilizing forces: Therefore I urge you to consider imposing President’s Rule in Manipur.
He also said that imposition of President’s Rule is the last resort, but in the present situation it is necessary to protect the life and property of the people of Manipur. “I urge you to ask the central government to take immediate action to address the situation and ensure that peace and stability is restored in the state.”
Shoot at sight orders issued
Significantly, there was a violent clash in Manipur on Wednesday night. The situation turned seriously volatile on Wednesday after thousands of people joined the ‘Tribal Solidarity March’ to protest the demand for inclusion of the Meitei community in the Scheduled Tribe (ST) category.
In view of the prevailing situation, the Manipur government on Thursday authorized all district magistrates, sub-divisional magistrates and all executive magistrates to issue “shoot at sight orders” in extreme cases.
The Army and the Assam Rifles continued to conduct flag marches in several troubled districts of Manipur for the third day on Thursday even as sporadic incidents were reported from different areas.