New Delhi: The Congress on Sunday demanded that Manipur Chief Minister Y. Khemchand Singh resign, the Assembly be dissolved and fresh elections be held, saying the BJP government in the state had failed to stop the violence.
Addressing a press conference in Delhi, Congress MP and Manipur in-charge Saptagiri Ulaka said no armed group or individual attacking civilians should enjoy "political protection or immunity". He sought time-bound investigations and prosecution in cases of killings, firing, arson and destruction of civilian property.
Ulaka cited the killing of three Meitei civilians collecting firewood on October 19 and clashes in Kamjong district in which Kuki and Naga civilians were killed. Referring to the protests on Friday, October 23, he said thousands of people across five districts marched towards Lok Bhavan before police stopped them, and alleged that tear gas shells and a lathi charge were used against them.
On the numbers, the Congress leader said around 300 people had been killed since May 2023, nearly 60,000 had been displaced and about 24,000 were yet to return home. He alleged that armed groups possessed more sophisticated weapons than the security forces.
Mahila Congress president Alka Lamba, who visited the state earlier this month, said women affected by the conflict continued to face hardship. "The BJP government in Manipur has completely failed to stop the violence there," she said.
The party's demands include immediate protection for civilians in vulnerable areas, strict enforcement of the suspension-of-operations ground rules, restoration of free movement across the state, and a credible roadmap for rehabilitation and the return of displaced people. It also wants the Union government to intervene and begin an inclusive peace process.
On Saturday, the Chief Minister announced plans to form a committee representing all 36 communities in the state to promote peace, saying the proposal followed a query from Prime Minister Narendra Modi on whether such a body existed. The ethnic conflict between the Meitei and Kuki communities began in May 2023, and clashes involving Kuki and Naga groups have been reported in recent months.