Imphal: A delegation of 21 MPs from the opposition bloc INDIA reached here on Saturday to assess the ground situation in ethnic strife-torn Manipur. The team of opposition MPs will visit several relief camps to meet victims of the ethnic clashes that broke in the northeastern state on May 3.
"From Imphal, they are going by a chopper to Churachandpur due to security issues. As only one helicopter is available, the members of the delegation would be divided into two teams, and the chopper will make two trips to ferry them," a security official said.
Another team, comprising Congress' deputy leader in the Lok Sabha Gaurav Gogoi and others, would go there and visit a relief camp at Don Bosco School in Churachandpur, a source in the Manipur Pradesh Congress Committee said.
Gaurav Gogoi, who is leading the delegation, expressed their commitment to hear the public's voice and present their concerns at the highest level. "We want the public's demand to be heard, and we are going to represent the demand of the people. We have come to stand in solidarity with the people of Manipur and address their pressing issues," he said.
"On Sunday morning, the delegation will meet Governor Anusuiya Uikey at Raj Bhawan to discuss the ongoing situation and possible measures to bring peace in Manipur at the earliest," the MPCC official said.
The team is scheduled to return to the national capital on Sunday afternoon. Manipur has been witnessing ethnic clashes since early May between the majority Meitei community, concentrated in the Imphal valley, and the Kukis, occupying the hills.
Over 160 people have been killed in the violence so far. (with Agency inputs)
