Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh has warned people that if they do not stop violence in the state, they will face the consequences. The warning comes after an Army soldier was injured due to unprovoked firing in Imphal West district on Sunday night. The soldier has been evacuated to a military hospital and is said to be stable. The incident occurred in Kanto Sabal village, adjoining Leimakhong (Chingmang), where unidentified armed men also set three houses on fire. The Army Columns responded with controlled retaliatory fire, given the presence of villagers in the area. Unprovoked firing started again from Meitei village of Kanto Sabal around 2.35 a.m. and continued until 3 a.m.
The Manipur Government has imposed a curfew on 11 of the 16 districts and banned internet services to stop the spread of rumours in the state. The Chief Minister also cancelled a proposed economic blockade on National Highway 306 linking Silchar in Assam with Aizawl, the capital of Mizoram. The Manipur government will build 3,000-4,000 pre-fabricated houses to accommodate people who had to flee their houses during the ongoing violence; pre-fabricated houses are ready-made structures that are constructed off-site and assembled where the homes will be established.
The Congress has criticized the Modi government’s handling of the situation in violence-hit Manipur. The Congress demanded that an all-party delegation be allowed to visit the state to intervene while Manipuri leaders have been seeking time from Prime Minister Modi to ensure his intervention. Congress leader K C Venugopal took a jibe at Modi, asking when the self-styled vishwaguru would listen to Manipur Ki Baat.
