IMPHAL: Over two years after ethnic violence hit Manipur, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday met with families displaced by the conflict in both Churachandpur and Imphal, reaffirming his government’s commitment to peace and rehabilitation in the strife-torn state.
“I am with you,” Modi told victims of the violence, during emotional interactions in relief camps at Churachandpur’s Peace Ground and later in the Meitei-majority capital, Imphal. Braving heavy rain, the Prime Minister travelled 65 km by road from Imphal airport to reach Churachandpur, the epicentre of the 2023 clashes that left 260 people dead and thousands displaced.
In Churachandpur, where the violence first erupted during a tribal rally opposing Meitei demands for Scheduled Tribe status, Modi listened to grievances from the Kuki-Zo community, interacted with elderly residents and children in relief shelters, and assured them that the government was “fully committed to restoring peace and normalcy.”
“Manipur is the land of the brave... For development to take root anywhere, peace is essential,” Modi told them. The ethnic clashes that broke out on May 3, 2023, have fractured the state along community lines. During his visit to Churachandpur, Modi also laid the foundation stones for 14 development projects worth `7,300 crore — including drainage systems, women’s hostels, schools, and super-specialty healthcare facilities.