'There Was No Fight Between Communities...': Manipur CM Days After Violent Clashes In State

Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh on Sunday said that there was no fight between the communities, days after the state witnesses severe clashes displacing hundreds.

Manipur CM N Biren Singh.

Source : PTI

Days after Manipur was hit by violence, Chief Minister N Biren Singh on Sunday said that there was no fight between the communities and there should not be any. He said that it was a reaction to what the government does as there’s always acceptance and resistance to the government’s decision. Speaking to the media in the state capital Imphal, he said that what happened is now past and the focus is now to restore normalcy in the state. 

"Past is past, now our mission is to restore normalcy in the state of Manipur. There was no fight between the communities & there shouldn't be any, it is with the govt, whenever the govt tries to do something, both resistance and acceptance will be there...": CM N Biren Singh said on Manipur clashes. 

Meanwhile,  trucks carrying essential commodities to violence-hit Manipur are plying with a special security cover to ensure that there is no shortage of goods in the Northeastern state, a defence spokesperson said on Sunday, reported PTI. 

The spokesperson was quoted as saying by PTI that the Army and Assam Rifles along with the state government, Manipur Police and central armed police forces are working in close coordination to assure protection to vehicles carrying such goods. The vehicles are plying to and from Imphal via NH 37, the defence spokesperson said. 

Notably, truck movement to the Imphal Valley had stopped due to roadblocks and fear among transporters as clashes broke out in Manipur after a 'Tribal Solidarity March' was organised in the hill districts on May 3 to protest against the Meitei community's demand for Scheduled Tribe (ST) status. 

“As a result, the stock of essential supplies in the state was dwindling and beginning to reach critical levels which resulted in planning movement through NH 37,” the Defence PRO, Imphal, said, as quoted by PTI. 

The ethnic clashes in the northeastern State claimed over 70 lives and some 10,000 army and para-military personnel had to be deployed to restore normalcy in Manipur.