NEW DELHI: Union Home Minister Amit Shah has canceled his scheduled election rallies in Maharashtra as violent protests continued to rage in Manipur over bodies discovered near the Manipur-Assam border.
These are suspected to be the remains of six people who have gone missing from Jiribam district. There is tension in the entire state and widespread unrest in all districts of Manipur due to these protests.
The unrest began late Friday night with the charred bodies of three individuals reportedly part of a group of six missing persons from near the Manipur-Assam border. The deceased reportedly included women and children, a situation that is causing anger among the people. The killing is said to be connected with militancy, which had already strained the relations in the region.
Angered by the killings, violent protests have erupted in Manipur's Imphal valley as mobs stormed the houses of political leaders and torched their properties. Additionally, the residence of a state minister was reduced to ash and dust. The authorities have had a tough time restoring order as the situation remains volatile.
In a step of the utmost significance, it has been reported that Amit Shah, the Union home minister, has returned to Delhi from his election campaign in Maharashtra, in response to the escalating crisis there. His immediate presence is considered indispensable in handling the deteriorating security situation in Manipur. Shah is supposed to sit with high-ranking security officials and meet with political leaders to devise strategies for restoring peace in the region.
The violence did not subside at all on Saturday night even after the imposition of an indefinite curfew. Incensed over the killings, riots hit three residences of state ministers and six MLAs. The protest has brought life to a standstill in the Imphal Valley as public anger spills into the streets.
The state government, in coordination with the central forces, has attempted to refute the violence, but the size of the protest makes it a formidable task. Reinforcements have been launched to prevent more damage, but tensions are still running high since communities have begun voicing their outrage about killings and a lack of security.
Ethno-political tensions have haunted Manipur for months with spurts of violence at regular intervals. Killings in Jiribam highlight the pent-up issues by making wounds even sharper, increasing friction in the community. The gruesome discovery of incinerated bodies has overlaid an awful dimension on the crisis as allegations that the government did not do enough to stem the communal carnage have upped the bill for anger once again.
This brings to the fore all the negative fallout of the Manipur situation over the BJP's national and state-level political strategies. The decision by Amit Shah to hold up election rallies to target the Manipur crisis makes the situation pretty grave. Opposition parties have criticized the government's handling of the unrest, demanding stronger action to restore normalcy.
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