After the recently concluded Lok Sabha elections in India’s north-eastern state of Manipur, ethnic conflict has resurfaced. More than 2,000 people have been displaced from Jiribam district, the epicenter of the violence. In such a situation, the security forces have issued a high alert in Cachar district of the neighboring state of Assam.
Kaushik Roy, MLA of Assam’s Lakhipur constituency, which is adjacent to Jibram district of Manipur, said that about 1,000 people are believed to have taken shelter in Cachar.
It is learned that a meeting has been held with the DC and SP to ensure that violence in Manipur does not spread to Assam. Cachar SP Numal Mahatta said security has been beefed up in Lakhipur and special commandos have been deployed. According to Jibram district administration, 918 people were staying in six shelters established in Jibram till last Monday. Many are taking shelter in sports complexes and schools.
Media India of Times reported that the incident started on May 3 last year. Manipur became heated due to ethnic conflict between the Kuki and Meitei groups. One after another the news of murders came to the fore. Many people are homeless. After the video of the two women being stripped naked, there was an uproar across India.
This time after the Lok Sabha polls, Manipur became hot again. On June 6, a farmer’s decapitated body was found in Jiribam. This 59-year-old farmer named Saibam Sarathkumar belongs to Meitei community. After the recovery of his body, the villagers surrounded the police station demanding the right to use weapons for their own protection. In this incident, the administration issued a curfew in the region.
The Meitei community alleged that the Kukis killed the farmer. After that incident, there were allegations of attacks in various Kuki-dominated villages.
Meanwhile, in the ongoing conflict, the fleet of Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh was attacked on Monday. On this day, his fleet was attacked while going to Ziribam from the state capital Imphal. A security guard was seriously injured.
