Six people killed and sixteen wounded by gun and mortar fire in Manipur
A fresh wave of attacks was carried out with automatic and semi-automatic weapons and mortars on Saturday. Three of the murdered victims were identified as members of the majority Meitei community.
The three victims, who had been living in refugee camps, were attacked whilst returning to their village. Two men were struck with sharp weapons on different parts of their bodies before being shot at close range. Hours later, retaliatory attacks followed: armed men assailed the neighbourhood villages that belong to the Kuki-Zo community, resulting in two deaths and thirteen severe injuries. Later another person was killed in Bishnupur district.
The growing turmoil, which has already claimed over 180 lives and displaced thousands, has become a crucial element in a no-confidence motion against Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The opposition, under the newly formed India National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA), has accused Modi of “brazen indifference” to the violence. They are expecting a vote on the motion this week.
Those who oppose Modi’s promotion of Hindu majority interests say the increasing tension is a result of his weakening institutions. The European Parliament passed a resolution compelling the Indian government to restore peace in northeast India’s Manipur state: “There have been concerns about politically motivated, divisive policies promoting Hindu majoritarianism, and about an increase in activity by militant groups,” the resolution states. There are also “accounts of partisan involvement by security forces in the killings have increased distrust in the authorities.”
The Modi administration, in return, accused the EP of meddling in “internal matters.”
The conflict in Manipur, which borders Myanmar and is home to 3.2 million people, has escalated into a national security crisis. The minority of Meiteis who are Christian have also been targeted, with 250 churches being destroyed so far.
Source: https://www.christianpost.com/