Violence gripped Manipur on May 3 after clashes erupted during a rally organized by the All Tribals Students Union to protest the demand for the inclusion of Meiteis in the Scheduled Tribe list
Our Bureau
Imphal/New Delhi
Two soldiers got injured after armed miscreants resorted to unprovoked firing in N Boljang, Imphal West district on Thursday morning, Spear Corps, Indian Army said. The soldiers sustained minor injuries and are stable, officials added. In a tweet, Spear Corps said, “Unprovoked firing in Imphal West. Armed miscreants resorted to unprovoked firing in N Boljang, Imphal West Distt in the morning hours of 22 June. Calibrated response by own troops to avoid any collateral damage. Two soldiers sustained minor injuries- both stable.”
Earlier, an Indian Army soldier has been injured after armed miscreants resorted to unprovoked firing from Kanto Sabal towards Chingmang village during the intervening night of June 18-19.
Violence gripped Manipur on May 3 after clashes erupted during a rally organized by the All Tribals Students Union (ATSU) to protest the demand for the inclusion of Meiteis in the Scheduled Tribe (ST) list.
As Manipur is still witnessing incidents like arson, the state government on Tuesday extended the ban on the internet by five more days till June 25 with immediate effect in an effort to prevent further disturbance to peace.
Meanwhile, Congress leader KC Venugopal on Thursday slammed Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his silence over the unrest in Manipur. “For the last 53 days, Manipur is burning, and people are fighting with each other. PM has not uttered a single word yet. A delegation from Manipur was here for the last 10 days but PM was not ready to meet them,” Venugopal said. “We’re expecting a meeting convened by Prime Minister,” he added.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah will convene an all-party meeting on June 24 in the national capital to discuss the situation in Manipur, Home Ministry Spokesperson said on Wednesday.
The announcement came hours after, Congress Parliamentary Party Chairperson Sonia Gandhi said that the unprecedented violence that has devastated the lives of people in Manipur has “left a deep wound in the conscience of our nation” while appealing for peace and harmony in the state.
Questioning the timing of the all-party meeting called by Union Home Minister Amit Shah on June 24, to discuss the prevailing situation in Manipur in the wake of ethnic violence and clashes, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said it is being convened at a time when Prime Minister Narendra Modi is on a State visit to the United States, which shows that the meeting isn’t important to him.
Rahul tweeted, “Manipur has been burning for 50 days, but the Prime Minister remained silent. An all-party meeting was called when the Prime Minister himself is not in the country! Clearly, this meeting is not important for the Prime Minister.” The union home minister will be chairing an all-party meeting on June 24 in the national capital to discuss the situation in Manipur, the spokesperson for the MHA informed on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, Internet services remain suspended in the state. “Further suspension of mobile data services/internet/data services including broadband services and internet/data services through VASTs of Bharatnet Phase-ll is further suspended in the territorial jurisdiction of the state of Manipur, except for those who have already been specifically exempted by the government and may be exempted subsequently and Internet Lease Line (ILL) on a case to basis as permitted by the competent authority,” an order issued by Manipur government said on Tuesday, adding it is issued to prevent any disturbances of the peace and public order in the jurisdiction of the state.
