NEW DELHI: A group of people from Manipur on Friday staged a demonstration at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar against the ongoing violence in the state over the Meitei community Scheduled Tribe status issue.
The protesters were seen carrying placards bearing messages such as “Save Manipur, Save Meitei”.
Clashes broke out in Manipur on Wednesday in the Torbung area of Churachandpur district during a ‘Tribal Solidarity March’ organised by the All Tribal Student Union Manipur to protest against the demand of Meiteis for Scheduled Tribe status.
The march was organised by tribal groups, including the Nagas and the Kukis, after the Manipur High Court last month asked the state government to send a recommendation to the Centre within four weeks on the Meitei community’s demand for Scheduled Tribe status.
During the march, an armed mob allegedly attacked people from the Meitei community, leading to retaliatory attacks in the valley districts that escalated the violence throughout the state, police said.
Multiple sources said the fighting between communities had left several scores of people dead and nearly a hundred injured. However, the police were unwilling to confirm this.
The Manipur government on Thursday issued “shoot at sight” orders in “extreme cases” after violence in the state spilt over to Imphal. Rapid Action Force (RAF) was flown in and 55 army columns were deployed to contain the spiralling violence.
According to sources, the Centre is rushing additional troops to the state. The Indian Air Force (IAF) will airlift forces from Guwahati and Tezpur in Assam. Former CRPF chief Kuldeep Singh has been appointed as the security advisor for Manipur while senior IPS officer Ashutosh Sinha has been made the overall commander overseeing the peace restoration operations in the state.
How it all began