As a first step to calming the unrest, Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge requested that Prime Minister Narendra Modi remove the ‘incompetent’ chief minister of the BJP from office on Wednesday. Additionally, he charged that the BJP has turned Manipur into a battleground by turning violence against women and children into a weapon.
When RAF personnel and locals clashed in the Singjamei neighbourhood of Imphal on Tuesday night over the murder of two students who had been missing since July 6, the law enforcement officers responded by firing rubber bullets, tear gas and baton charges at the demonstrators, injuring 45 of them, mostly students.
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Kharge takes it to X:
https://x.com/kharge/status/1706877810625671434?s=20
“Manipur’s residents have endured hardship for 147 days, but PM Modi lacks the time to travel to the region. Once more shocking the entire country were the horrifying photos of students being the target of this brutality, Kharge remarked on X. “It is now clear that this conflict weaponized violence against women and children. Because of the BJP, the stunning state of Manipur has been reduced to a battleground, he claimed.
“It’s about time PM Modi fired the BJP’s inept Manipur Chief Minister. The Congress leader stated that this would be the first step in controlling any additional unrest. The Congress has been criticising the government over the violence in Manipur and has questioned why the prime minister has not travelled to the region.
After an incident between students and members of the Rapid Action Force (RAF) the night before, the atmosphere in Imphal remained peaceful but tense on Wednesday morning.
In preparation for potential protests and violence, Manipur Police, CRPF, and RAF soldiers were spotted stationed in large numbers throughout the Imphal Valley.
Although the state administration has proclaimed Wednesday a vacation for schools, several Imphal-based colleges’ students have promised to assemble there, raising the possibility of additional protests later in the day.
