NEW YORK: External affairs minister of India – S Jaishankar – has said that efforts are on to bring back a sense of normalcy in strife-torn Manipur.
Jaishankar said that both the central and Manipur government are working to find a way to ensure return of normalcy in the state.
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Notably, Manipur has been on the boil since May 3 after ethnic clashes broke out between the Kuki and Meitei communities in the state.
The ethnic clashes and large-scale violence in Manipur left at least 175 people dead and thousands of other homeless.
The Indian minister also blamed ‘migrants’ for the ‘problem’ of violence in the Northeast state of Manipur.
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“…I think one part of the problem in Manipur has been the destabilising impact of migrants who have come,” external affairs minister S Jaishankar said.
Also read: Congress blasts Modi government over fresh tensions in Manipur
Jaishankar made this remark on Tuesday (September 26) while answering a question on the situation in Manipur at the council on foreign relations in New York.
The Indian minister said: “I think the effort is on the part of the state government and the union government to find a way by which a sense of normalcy returns.”
It may be mentioned here that Manipur, especially the valley areas of the state, is witnessing fresh tensions following the brutal ‘killing’ of two Meitei students by suspected Kuki militants.
Massive protests and demonstrations erupted in the valley areas of strife-torn Manipur on Tuesday (September 26) after photos of two Meitei students – one male and one female – surfaced on social media.
The two young students went missing on July 6, during the peak of ethnic violence in Manipur, and were later allegedly ‘killed’ by suspected Kuki militants.
According to the timeline shown in the photos that went viral on social media, the pictures were taken on July 8 – two days after they had gone missing.
Luwangbi, after attending her coaching class, later went out with Hijam on his KTM bike for a ride on July 6, has not returned home since then.
Also read: Manipur tensions: CBI team rushed to Imphal to probe ‘killing’ of two Meitei students
Earlier this month, United Nations (UN) experts raised alarm about reports of serious human rights violations and abuses in Manipur.
The UN experts expressed concerns over reports on alleged acts of sexual violence, extrajudicial killings, home destruction, forced displacement, torture and ill-treatment.
“We are appalled by the reports and images of gender-based violence targeting hundreds of women and girls of all ages, and predominantly of the Kuki ethnic minority. The alleged violence includes gang rape, parading women naked in the street, severe beatings causing death, and burning them alive or dead,” the UN experts said.