Kerala Governor Arif Mohammed Khan on Friday said that there was a need to take the strictest action against culprits in order to build confidence among the people. He said not just in Manipur but anywhere if incidents happen against women then it can be nothing but shameful. The Kerala Governor made the statement when he was asked about the Manipur incident.
After the launch of former Rajya Sabha MP Balbir Punj's book "Narrative Ka Mayajaal" in New Delhi, Khan said, "Not just in Manipur, anywhere, if the law is broken, especially if some incidents happen with women, it can be nothing but shameful. But the real test is... incidents happen, but the real test is what action is taken against the criminals," he said.
"The most important thing is to instill confidence in people, whether the harshest measures are being taken against criminals or not. That occurs when you allow your agencies to function, and I believe that is the case right now," he added.
Since May 3, when a 'Tribal Solidarity March' was held in the hill districts to protest against the Meitei community's quest for Scheduled Tribe status, more than 160 people have died and several others have been injured as a result of ethnic violence in Manipur.
On Saturday, over 20 opposition Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) MPs from the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha left for a two-day on-the-ground assessment of the situation in Manipur.
Before leaving for the airport, Kanimozhi said, "Over 50,000 people have been forced to flee from their homes to save their lives and now they are in camps. We are going to meet the people of Manipur and tell them that we stand with them and we are fighting for them."
“We have got permission and we are going to meet the people. We are Indian citizens and we are representatives of the people. So it is our duty to stand for the people.” she said.