Amid the ongoing violence in Manipur, Union Home Minister Amit Shah appealed to people in the north-eastern state to maintain peace, and assured that justice will be delivered to all. He also said that he will travel to Manipur to resolve disputes, and appealed to all groups to maintain peace, reported PTI.
The union home minister is on a day-long visit to Assam to attend three events to mark the completion of two years of the Himanta Biswa Sarma-led BJP government in the state.
“I will go to Manipur soon and stay there for three days but before that, both groups should remove mistrust and suspicion among themselves and ensure that peace is restored in the state,” he said. The Centre will ensure that justice is given to all who suffered in the clashes which broke out in the state, but “people must hold a dialogue to ensure peace in the state,” Shah said.
Shah’s visit to Assam comes on the day when one person was killed and another was injured in a fresh violence between suspected militants and a group of people in an area bordering Bishnupur and Churachandpur districts in strife-torn Manipur, police said on Thursday. The ethnic clashes have claimed more than 70 lives so far in Manipur.
The deceased has been identified as 30-year-old Toijam Chandramoni who was shot dead on Wednesday, and 22-year-old Leichombam Abungnao was injured, reported PTI.
On May 3, clashes broke out in Manipur after a ‘Tribal Solidarity March’ was organised in the hill districts to protest against the politically-influential Meitei community’s, who are largely concentrated in the Valley areas, demand for Scheduled Tribe (ST) status. The violence was preceded by tension over the eviction of Kuki villagers from reserve forest land, which had led to a series of smaller agitations.
Meanwhile, the Congress hit out at Shah over his visit to Assam, but not Manipur “which has been burning for 22 days”.
Taking a dig at Shah, Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said, “The Union Home Minister goes all the way to Guwahati today, but does not deem it fit to visit Imphal when Manipur has been burning for 22 days.”
“This is the same Union Home Minister who held 16 rallies and 15 road shows in Karnataka, but cannot find time for the people of Manipur who are suffering a lot due to the ideology and politics of the so-called Double Engine Sarkar,” Ramesh said in a tweet.