A day after four people were killed in Manipur, Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra blasted Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the situation and asked the administration to take "concrete steps" for stability and peace in the northeastern state by talking to all stakeholders. Unidentified intruders shot and killed four people in Manipur's Thoubal district's minority-dominated Lilong Chingjao region. Taking to X, Priyanka Gandhi stated: "Four people were killed in Manipur, many people are injured, there is curfew in many districts. The people of Manipur have been facing murder, violence and destruction for eight months. When will this trend stop?"
She stated that a combined team of Manipur's leaders from all parties had travelled to Delhi and requested time to meet with the prime minister, but that he had yet to grant time.
"Neither he (PM Modi) went to Manipur, nor talked about Manipur, nor replied in Parliament, nor took any action. Is this the leadership that Manipur needs, or is the power of advertisements enough to become great!" the Congress general secretary said.
"The government should now, without any delay, start taking concrete steps to bring stability and peace by talking to all stakeholders in Manipur, taking them into confidence," she said.
The violence in Manipur comes only days before the Congress' 'Bharat Nyay Yatra,' which is set to begin in the state on January 14 and end in Mumbai in March.
In May, Manipur fell into disorder and unrest in response to a high court judgement asking the state administration to consider placing the non-tribal Meitei minority on the list of Scheduled Tribes.
This decree sparked widespread ethnic conflict between the tribal Kuki and non-tribal Meitei groups. Since May 3, when a 'Tribal Solidarity March' was staged in the hill areas to oppose the majority Meitei community's desire for Scheduled Tribe classification, more than 180 people have been murdered and hundreds have been injured in the state.
Dispute Over Drug Money Behind Manipur Firing That Killed 4; Situation Calm, CM Singh Promises Action
The situation in Manipur's Thoubal district's minority-dominated Lilong Chingjao region, where four villagers were gunned killed by cadres of the outlawed People's Liberation Army, remained peaceful on Tuesday, according to officials, news agency PTI reported.
According to them, the death toll in the event rose to four when one more person died from injuries, while two more seriously injured people were being treated in the ICU of an Imphal-based hospital.
According to officials, some cadres of the outlawed People's Liberation Army (PLA) appeared at the home of one guy who has multiple drugs cases outstanding against him.
Within minutes, approximately 1,000 people gathered outside the accused narcotics dealer's home in Lilong Chingjao hamlet, 15 km from the Thoubal district headquarters, and chased the PLA cadres away.
On the run, the PLA cadres opened fire on the people indiscriminately, killing four and wounded several more.
The Revolutionary People's Front (RPF), the political branch of the People's Liberation Army (PLA), released a statement alleging that the gunmen were members of the organisation and that an internal investigation was being conducted into the event. Both groups are prohibited by the strict Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act.
According to officials, the event was the result of a quarrel over money obtained from the illegal drug trade.
Following the incident, police conducted an interfaith discussion in the presence of civil society activists and Lilong MLA Abdul Nasir in order to de-escalate tensions in the neighbourhood.
Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh further promised that the perpetrators will be apprehended and punished in accordance with the law.
The chief minister paid a visit to Raj Hospital, where the injured were being treated.
After his visit, Singh posted on X, “We strongly condemn all forms of violence, and the state government has launched mass combing operations to nab the culprits and the culprit will be punished according to the law. No one is above the law.” Additional security forces have been deployed in the area and vehicular patrolling has been increased to prevent any untoward incident, he said.
Meanwhile, with a curfew enforced in five districts of Imphal Valley due to the "prevailing law and order situation," just a few cars were observed on the roads, while most commercial businesses remained shuttered.
Officials named the deceased as Md Daulat, M Sirajuddin, Md Azad Khan, and Md Hussain, whose remains were transferred to the Jawaharlal Nehru Institute of Medical Sciences in Imphal for post-mortem investigation.
Ten other people were hurt in the event and are being treated at another hospital in Imphal. Four of them were shot, and two of them are in intensive care.
Following the raid, furious villagers set fire to four trucks carrying the perpetrators. It wasn't immediately evident who those belonged to.