Manipur clashes and sexual violence: ‘CM has failed and PM is still silent’

Opposition leaders and civil rights activist Irom Sharmila on Sunday pressed Prime Minister Narendra Modi to intervene to contain the violent clashes and sexual assault on women in Manipur where the ldquolaw and order collapsedrdquo over two months agoIrom Sharmila on Sunday she could not hold her tears after watching the video clip of two women being paraded naked and molested by a group of men in Kangpokpi district on May 4 ldquoItrsquos inhuman and quite a disturbing incidentrdquo she told PTI from BengaluruldquoItrsquos clear that the state government in Manipur has failed totally And when a state cannot control the situation why is the prime minister silentrdquo said the 51yearold awardwinning activist who hails from ManipurIrom Sharmila civil rights activistThe lsquoIron Ladyrsquo of Manipur demanded that Chief Minister N Biren Singh admit his failure and apologise to the peopleNo control on fake newsThe despicable May 4 sexual assault in Kangpokpi occurred after a picture of a body wrapped in polythene was circulated in the Imphal valley with a false claim that the victim had been murdered by tribals in Churachandpur On the same day barely 30 km away two more women in their 20s were brutally raped and murdered The picture was later found to be that of a woman murdered in DelhiThe lawlessness because of the fake picture spread like jungle fire and was one of the reasons for the state government to shut down the Internet on May 3 according to officials from various security agencies who have been monitoring the situation in the restive state Analysis by security agencies has led to the conclusion that there is ldquono control on fake or onesided news being circulated even by local newspapersrdquolsquoCM must gorsquoThe Congress on Sunday said there would be no movement towards peace in Manipur as long as Biren Singh remains the chief minister The attack came over a media report about an 18yearold woman being abducted assaulted and gang raped in Imphal on May 15In a tweet Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said ldquoEvery passing day as the truth of the horror of Manipur continues to trickle out it is clear that The law and order in the state has collapsed Mobs armed vigilantes and insurgent groups are running amok Women and families have faced the worst unimaginable atrocitiesrdquo The administration is not only complicit in the violence but has actively fanned hate he allegedldquoThere wonrsquot be any justice or movement towards peace as long as Biren Singh remains CM The time has long past gone for the Prime Minister to act He must ACT NOW and not deflect distort and defame to cover up collapse of the socalled double engine governance in Manipurrdquo the Congress leader said on TwitterOn Modirsquos and BJPrsquos comparison of the situation in Manipur to that of Bihar West Bengal and Rajasthan senior Congress leader P Chidambaram on Sunday said ldquoLetrsquos admit that there were incidents of violence against women in Bihar West Bengal and Rajasthan How does that excuse the continuing and relentless violence in ManipurrdquoMay 3Day violent clashes erupted in ManipurPM Modirsquos July itineraryAmid Oppositionrsquos demand that Prime Minister Narendra Modi speak on the Manipur issue in Parliament and visit the state in turmoil since May 3 the PM has a list of inaugurations to attend to this month Modi who may inaugurate the ITPO complex in Delhi on July 26 will visit Gujarat on July 27 and 28 During his trip to his home state Modi will inaugurate Rajkot International Airport and lsquoSemicon India 2023rsquo in Gandhinagarmdashan event on investment in semiconductor sector officials said on Sunday He will also address a public rallyThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever