The convoy of Indian opposition leader Rahul Gandhi was stopped by police in Bishnupur, around 20 km from the state capital of violence-torn Manipur, reportedly for security reasons, on Thursday morning.
Gandhi was slated to visit relief camps that were set up for people displaced by violence raging in the remote state for the past two months.
The leader of the country’s largest opposition party was planning to meet refugees from the majority Meitei and minority Kuki/Chin/Zo communities as well as leaders of civil society groups.
Upon his arrival in Imphal on Thursday morning, Gandhi put out a social media post saying that “restoration of peace is the top priority. Manipur needs healing, and only together we can bring harmony.”
Gandhi took a helicopter provided by the state government to visit Churachandpur – the epicenter of the initial bout of violence on May 3, accompanied by police, according to media reports.
Meanwhile, Congress leaders have hit out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government for preventing Gandhi from visiting Churachandpur. Party president Mallikarjun Kharge accused the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party government of “using autocratic methods to stall a compassionate outreach” by Gandhi.
“This is totally unacceptable and shatters all constitutional and democratic norms. Manipur needs peace, not confrontation,” he tweeted.
Congress MP Jairam Ramesh pointed out that Gandhi’s two-day visit was in the spirit of his Bharat Jodo Yatra, a five-month-long unity march across the country between last September and January.
Manipur has been roiled by unrest for around two months since ethnic clashes broke out over the Meiteis’ demand for ‘Scheduled Tribe’ status.
The violence has claimed over 200 lives, around 500 people have been wounded, and over 60,000 people have been displaced, a majority of whom are from the tribal groups who have sought refuge in neighboring Mizoram and Assam states.
Normal life has been thrown out of gear for the locals who are facing curfews, internet shutdowns and sporadic killings and arson amid skyrocketing prices of essential goods.
The internet outages are causing immense distress for thousands of students who travel outside the remote state to pursue higher education in mainland India, especially given that the admission session for undergraduate and postgraduate courses is in progress.
On June 26, Modi, upon his return from the US and Egypt, held a review meeting on the Manipur violence with senior officials.
Earlier, on June 24, Minister for Home Affairs Amit Shah presided over an all-party meeting in Delhi on the ongoing crises in Manipur. The following day Manipur Chief Minister Nongthombam Biren Singh met Shah in the nation's capital amid demands by opposition parties for his resignation on grounds of a “partisan approach” towards the Meitei, a community he himself belongs to.
Shah visited Manipur exactly a month ago on May 29 for four days and held out hopes that the situation would be brought under control soon.
However, the violence has continued unabated since his return as sporadic incidents of ethnic clashes continue to hit the headlines.
The Indigenous Tribal Leaders’ Forum and the Coordinating Committee on Manipur Integrity, which represent the Kuki/Chin/Zo and Meitei communities, respectively, have cited a sense of betrayal, as Shah did not come back to the state within a fortnight as he had promised when he left Imphal on June 2.
Over 60,000 security personnel have been deployed in the state to quell the violence.
The tribal groups are in favor of federal security forces being deployed in the state and ‘president’s rule’ – the suspension of state government and imposition of direct rule from the center – being imposed.
Meitei civil organizations want Assam Rifles, a paramilitary force responsible for border security in northeastern India, to be withdrawn from Manipur.
Despite mounting criticism, Modi has yet to visit the violence-hit state.