Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge took to Twitter on Saturday to blame the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for the violence in Manipur and accused the ruling party of “bulldozing” the rights of indigenous communities.
“The situation in BJP-ruled Manipur is disturbing. Violence is no solution to any issue. Law and Order has been completely derailed in the State under the double-engine government. The BJP is hell-bent to trample and bulldoze the rights of vulnerable indigenous communities. We strongly condemn it,” tweeted the Congress chief.
On Friday night, fresh clashes erupted between demonstrators and police personnel in Churachandpur town of Manipur, with security forces being forced to use using batons, tear gas and rubber bullets for crowd dispersal. There was also a bandh call given by the Indigenous Tribal Leaders Forum (ITLF).
“While the entire Team Modi is fixated on Karnataka, Churachandpur in Manipur has turned into almost a war zone only a year after the BJP got a decisive majority in the state. The double engine there is blowing up. Neither the Union govt or the national media is bothered about it,” tweeted Congress general secretary (communication) Jairam Ramesh, sharing visuals of police firing in the air to disperse the crowds.
The situation in Churachandpur remained grim as unidentified miscreants set afire a government building, even as night curfew was imposed in the district from Saturday, officials said.
A group of people torched the office of the Range Forest Officer in Tuibong area around midnight and several fire tenders were pressed into service to douse the flames, they said.
Public property worth lakhs of rupees were reportedly destroyed and official documents burnt in the blaze, a police officer said. Night curfew has been imposed in the district from 5 p.m. to 5 a.m. from Saturday until further orders, according to an official notification.
(With PTI inputs)
