Manipur Violence: Mass Resignations in BJP; Protester Killed in Jiribam Amid Ongoing Tensions

Tensions continue to run high in Manipur, with flare-ups of violence leaving bodies strewn on streets. In fact, more than half of the BJP leaders in the Jiribam district tendered their resignation today, citing their inability to tackle the state's deteriorating security situation. Leaders, in a joint letter to the BJP state chief Sharda Devi, expressed their frustration over the "unwelcome" conditions in Manipur. However, the state BJP office said that the incumbent committee members of the Jiribam Mandal submitted no official resignation letters, and hence, it is left ambiguous about the status of their resignations.

Violence in Manipur escalated following the killing of six Meitei civilians, allegedly abducted and killed by Kuki militants on November 11. The incident has brought wide-scale protests and unrest, particularly in the valley areas of the state. Sunday saw a deadly turn in the situation with the police opening fire to disperse a violent mob in Jiribam that killed a 20-year-old protester, K Athouba. Reports indicated that rioters had sacked and burnt the BJP and Congress local offices, prompting security forces to intervene. Another protester was injured in the violence.

There was another such incident, wherein an angry mob, around 300 to 400 protesters, set afire the residence of Public Works Department (PWD) and Youth Affairs Minister Govindas Konthoujam. The property damage is estimated to be about Rs 3 crore, with the minister's office in the locality going up in flames as well.

In response to the situation that has gone out of hand, Union Home Minister Amit Shah reviewed the situation of security in Manipur on Monday. The Ministry of Home Affairs has asked security forces to take necessary steps to restore law and order. This is amidst inter-communal clashes which have already claimed more than 250 lives and displaced 60,000 people in the region over months.

Tensions in Manipur are far from abating and continue to spasm in a fragile state of both political and security challenges. The recent flare-ups underscore the depth of problems at hand in the state, as voices grow louder for greater intervention and peacekeeping.

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