Manipur districts tense after day of violence
GUWAHATI
Two districts of Manipur remained tense on Friday (June 20, 2025), a day after unknown gunmen injured a Meitei farmer and a Kuki woman was shot dead later.
A shutdown was observed across the Churachandpur district, dominated by the Kuki-Zo people, to protest the woman's killing. She was identified as Hoikholhing Haokip, the wife of the chief of Langchingmanbi village adjoining the Bishnupur district, where the Meitei farmer was attacked.
The Indigenous Tribal Leaders' Forum had called the shutdown, demanding 'immediate action against those responsible for this atrocity, concrete steps from the Centre to ensure the protection of tribal lives and territory, and an independent investigation into the repeated buffer zone violations.'
The people of Bishnupur, one of the five districts comprising the Meitei-majority Imphal Valley, continued to block a highway leading to the Churachandpur district. They demanded the arrest of the assailants of farmer Ningthoujam Biren Singh, who was shot in his left arm on Thursday.
Earlier, the Manipur Police said the security forces came under fire from unknown armed miscreants after the farmer was shot in Bishnupur's Phubala area. '...the forces retaliated accordingly. During the crossfire, one woman from Langchingmanbi village was found dead with a bullet injury,' it said.
Manipur, scarred by the ethnic conflict between the Kuki-Zos and Meiteis, was relatively calm after the imposition of the President's Rule on February 13 this year. More than 250 people had died and some 60,000 were displaced in the clashes that had erupted on May 3, 2023.
Also read | Manipur marks two years of ethnic violence by remembering victims
Meanwhile, the All Manipur United Clubs' Organisation (AMUCO) condemned the Phubala incident, saying it suspected a conspiracy between the attackers and the security forces. It said the incident happened near a bunker of the Sashastra Seema Bal, whose personnel were inactive.
The organisation underlined the importance of holding accountable the security personnel found complicit or negligent, apart from the attackers. 'The people of Manipur express deep dissatisfaction with the Ministry of Home Affairs' performance, as the region continues to grapple with ongoing conflicts and violence despite the government's claims of working towards restoring normalcy,' the AMUCO said.
The organisation also questioned the work done by security adviser Kuldiep Singh, who was sent by the Centre to resolve the ongoing crisis plaguing the State.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Hans India
an hour ago
- Hans India
Durgesh outlines vision for AP tourism, calls for more support from investors
Vijayawada: Tourism minister Kandula Durgesh on Friday emphasised the critical need for investor cooperation to accelerate tourism projects, develop robust infrastructure, provide world-class experiences for tourists, and ensure benefits for local communities. He participated on the second day of the AP Tourism Conclave Tech AI 2.0 jointly organised by the Global Forum for Sustainable Tourism and APTDC. Durgesh said that Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu's decision to grant industrial status to the tourism sector has significantly boosted its development. 'This is the opportune moment for investors to invest,' Durgesh declared, contrasting the current government's proactive approach with the 'lack of tourism development' in the state over the past five years. Durgesh stressed that the government's primary objectives are economic development and job creation for youth in Andhra Pradesh, with tourism playing a pivotal role in the development of all regions. He noted that the Centre has already sanctioned hundreds of crores of rupees through schemes like Swadeshi Darshan 2.0, PRASAD, SAASKI, and CBDD. The minister confirmed that tourism development would be pursued through Public-Private Partnership (PPP) models. He outlined the state's goal to showcase its 974 km long coastline, natural beauty, and historical monuments to the world. He also revealed that Europeans have expressed interest in investing in wellness centers in AP. He gave details of six key areas guiding AP's tourism sector: Branding, marketing, product development, projects, investments, partnerships, tech enablement, creative economy and capacity building. The minister invited investors to put their money into AP, promising a free and conducive environment. He urged them to forget the 'shadows of sorrow' from the previous government, emphasising the long-term tourism pathways being laid and the commitment to improving employment opportunities in the sector. 'Andhra Pradesh tourism is conducive to investments. Share your ideas with the government, and it's our responsibility to provide assurance when you come with investments,' he added.
Hindustan Times
2 hours ago
- Hindustan Times
Centre approves suspension of three IPS officers over Bengaluru stampede incident: Report
The Union government has formally approved the suspension of three senior IPS officers, Dayananda, Vikas Kumar, and Shekhar, in connection with the tragic stampede at Bengaluru's M Chinnaswamy Stadium that claimed 11 lives and left several others injured, reported India Today. Bengaluru Police Commissioner B Dayananda.(ANI) Also Read - Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah flags decline in police investigation quality, calls for urgent reforms This decision follows the Karnataka government's recommendation to suspend the officers for lapses in crowd management during the June 4 victory celebrations of the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) after their IPL 2025 campaign. The Centre has now backed the disciplinary action and communicated its approval to the Department of Personnel and Administrative Reforms (DPAR), reinforcing the state's accountability move. According to the report (CMO), the Centre has also directed the Karnataka government to initiate charge-sheeting proceedings against the three officials within the next 30 days, marking the next step in the disciplinary process. The development comes in the wake of mounting criticism over police mismanagement during the high-profile event, which led to one of the deadliest crowd incidents in the city in recent memory. Siddaramaiah slams lack of timeliness of police Earlier, during a review meeting held at the office of the Director General and Inspector General of Police, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah slammed the handling of the situation and questioned the effectiveness of the state's intelligence apparatus. 'I've been an MLA since 1983 and served as Chief Minister before, but never have I witnessed such a tragic and avoidable failure,' he said, expressing disbelief over the lack of timely alerts and preventive measures. Also Read - Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah flags decline in police investigation quality, calls for urgent reforms Siddaramaiah acknowledged that the decision to suspend senior officers was unfortunate but necessary. 'It saddens me to take such steps, but lapses of this magnitude cannot be ignored,' he stated. He further criticized systemic delays in filing charge sheets in criminal cases, calling it a recurring flaw in the law enforcement process that needs urgent correction.
Hans India
3 hours ago
- Hans India
How fish farming is transforming former Naxalites in J'khand
Gumla: Former insurgents in eastern Jharkhand are trading guns for fishing nets under a central government scheme that has helped transform a once violence-torn region and contributed to its removal from a list of Naxalite-affected areas. Jyothi Lakra, 41, was once part of a Naxalite group before abandoning the Left-wing insurgency in 2002. Today, he runs a fish feed mill that earned him Rs 8,00,000 in net profit last year under the Centre's Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY) scheme. "There were no shops selling fish feed nearby. Villagers had to travel 150 km to buy fish feed," said Lakra, who received Rs 18 lakh grant to set up his mill in Gumla district's Basia block. "So I decided to set up a fish feed mill," he told PTI. The PMMSY scheme, launched in 2020-21 with joint central and state implementation, has trained 157 individual beneficiaries in Gumla district over four years. About 25 per cent of the 8,000-9,000 families in the district now engaged in fish farming were former Naxalite supporters or participants, according to District Fishery Officer Kusumlata. Gumla district was removed from the Union Home Ministry's list of Naxalite-affected areas in May 2025, alongside Ranchi district, marking a significant decline in Left-wing extremism in the region. The transformation is stark in areas where "eight out of ten families" once supported what they called a "revolutionary" way of life, according to local officials. Deserted villages have been repopulated, schools and hospitals reopened, and agricultural activity resumed. Ishwar Gop, 42, another former Naxalite who joined the anti-Maoist Shanti Sena group, now harvests eight quintals of fish annually worth Rs 2,50,000 from a government pond he leases for Rs 1,100 per three-year period. "I make a profit of Rs 1,20,000 after expenses," said Gop, who owns 25 acres of farmland but found fish farming more profitable than traditional agriculture. The fish farming initiative began in 2009 when State Fishery Extension Officer Mugda Kumar Topo was posted in the region despite security concerns. "It was difficult to enter Basia block of Gumla district as Naxal activities were at their peak," said Topo, now based in state capital Ranchi. "After speaking to 50-odd families, a pilot was launched." The government leased 22 tanks to interested families, including one in a remote forest area that required convincing a former Naxalite to operate due to security fears. Om Prakash Sahu, an active Naxal supporter until 2007, now operates six fish ponds and harvests 40 quintals annually. In 2024, he received assistance for three ponds with advanced Recirculatory Aquaculture System technology.
