Indian opposition MPs demand premier speak on situation in violence-hit Manipur state

By Anadolu staff

ANKARA (AA) - The Indian opposition protested in parliament over deadly ethnic clashes in the northeastern state of Manipur, demanding a statement from the Indian prime minister over the issue.

Both houses of the parliament saw disruptions for the fourth day as opposition lawmakers chanted slogans against the government, and called on Prime Minister Narendra Modi to speak on the situation in Manipur.

The violence in Manipur started in May after a court ruling directed the state government to submit recommendations for the inclusion of the Meitei community in the Scheduled Tribe category, which enraged the state's tribal population. Since then over 100 people have died in the lingering ethnic violence, while thousands have been displaced.

There are three main communities living in the state: Meitei, Naga and Kuki.

The Meitei people, who are mostly Hindus, form the largest ethnic group of Manipur. On the other hand, Nagas and Kukis are mostly Christians.

Meanwhile, a meeting of opposition parties was held on Tuesday.

"INDIA demands that there should be a discussion on Manipur in the House. The Prime Minister should issue a detailed statement on this matter and inform the country about the situation there," the main opposition Congress party wrote on Twitter, referring to an acronym for the opposition Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance.

- Government ‘ready’ for discussion

On Monday, Indian Home Minister Amit Shah said that government is “ready” for a discussion on Manipur in parliament. "It is important that the country gets to know the truth on this sensitive matter," he said.

In a Twitter post, Mallikarjun Kharge, the president of the Congress party, said on Tuesday: “83 days of unabated violence in Manipur requires the Prime Minister to make a comprehensive statement in the Parliament. Stories of absolute horror are now slowly trickling down.”

“The situation in Northeast is fragile and the repercussions of Manipur violence seems to be spilling to other states too. This is not good for our sensitive border states,” Kharge added.

Talking to reporters last week, Modi had termed the mob assaults on two women who were paraded naked in Manipur as a shameful incident and "what happened with the daughters of Manipur can never be forgiven."

Last week, a video showing two women paraded naked by a mob in Manipur triggered outrage across the country. The video which went viral shows two women from the state's Kuki tribe paraded naked on the road and pushed into a field by a mob on May 4.

Manipur police said in a statement on Monday night that seven suspects, including a juvenile, have been arrested in connection with the incident.

"Altogether, seven accused persons including one juvenile have been arrested/ apprehended in the case so far. The State police is making an all-out effort to arrest the remaining culprits by conducting raids at many suspected hide-outs," the police said in a statement.