'Your Stoic Silence Rubbing Salt On People's Wounds': Kharge To PM Modi On Manipur Violence

Congress Chief Mallikarjun Kharge accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of betraying Manipur's citizens.

Congress Chief Mallikarjun Kharge.

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After three people, including an elderly woman, were tragically killed in Manipur's Kangpokpi district, Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge on Saturday accuses Prime Minister Narendra Modi of betraying people of Manipur, stating that "your stoic silence on violence in Manipur is rubbing salt in the wounds of its people." Taking to Twitter, Kharge stated: "3rd May 2023 - Violence first broke out in Manipur. It took almost a month for you to send the Union Home Minister to the state. 8 days after Home Minister's departure, violence continues in Manipur.

"For a proponent of the so-called 'Act East' policy for Northeast India, your stoic silence on violence in Manipur is rubbing salt in the wounds of its people. As the Prime Minister, the least you could have done is appeal for peace. You have betrayed Manipur," he further stated. 

Three people were tragically slain in Manipur's Kangpokpi district. The assailants, according to residents, were clothed in police and India Reserve Battalion (IRB) uniforms, prompting claims of their complicity. This event occurred immediately after Kuldiep Singh, the Manipur government's security advisor, announced that the state had been tranquil for 48 hours. For more than a month, the region has been plagued by ethnic confrontations, Indian Express reported.

Residents of Khoken hamlet, which is primarily populated by Kukis, stated that armed men arrived about 4 a.m. and began shooting, staying in the area for around two hours. Although authorities verified three deaths and two injuries, they did not provide any other information on the incident, Indian Express reported.

The village of Khoken is situated at the boundary between Imphal West and the Kangpokpi district.