RSS involvement will not resolve Manipur crisis: Congress
Imphal (PTI): Manipur Congress president Keisham Meghachandra Singh on Friday said the involvement of the RSS will solve the crisis in the state, as it requires a government-led political solution and confidence-building measures.
Reacting to the three-day tour of RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat, he said any visit that "prioritises strengthening organisational growth" over the suffering of the people sends a wrong message.
"The Manipur Pradesh Congress Committee takes note of the visit of RSS Sarsanghchalak Mohan Bhagwat to Manipur. At a time when Manipur is still suffering from unprecedented violence, displacement, social division, and administrative collapse, the people expected the Central Government to send a concrete plan for peace and restoration of normalcy," he said in a post on X.
"However, instead of addressing the humanitarian crisis and the breakdown of governance, the visit appears to be focused primarily on strengthening RSS organisational activities in the State," he added.
Claiming that RSS involvement will not solve the crisis, Singh said the ongoing turmoil requires a government-led political solution, administrative accountability, and confidence-building measures.
"Strengthening ideological organisations will not bring peace," he added.
The Congress leader said if the Centre was serious about solving the ethnic crisis in the state, it should provide a concrete roadmap for peace, a unified command structure, a plan for the safe return of displaced families, and accountability for administrative failures.
"MPCC reiterates that the focus must remain on restoration of normalcy, protection of all communities, and justice for victims. Political or ideological visits cannot substitute real governance," he said.
"Manipur needs healing, not polarisation. Any visit that prioritises organisational growth over people’s suffering sends a wrong message at this critical time," he added.
Bhagwat reached Imphal on Thursday, his first visit since ethnic violence broke out in the state in May 2023.
During his stay, Bhagwat will hold a series of closed-door interactions with RSS members to oversee the functioning of the organisation in the northeastern state.
He will also interact with entrepreneurs, tribal leaders from the Manipur hills, prominent citizens and leaders of youth organisations in the state.
Manipur has been under the President's Rule since February after CM N Biren Singh, who led a BJP government, resigned amid criticism of his administration's handling of the ethnic violence, which has claimed over 260 lives.
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Indian visa application centre suspended indefinitely in Bangladesh's Chattogram
Dhaka (PTI): India on Sunday suspended visa operations at its mission in Bangladeshi port city of Chattogram until further notice, according to media reports.
The move comes in the wake of a fresh wave of unrest witnessed in the country following the death of prominent youth leader Sharif Osman Hadi.
His death triggered attacks and vandalism across Bangladesh, including stone-hurling at the Assistant Indian High Commissioner's residence in Chattogram on Thursday.
Hadi, a prominent leader of the student-led protests last year that led to the ouster of the prime minister Sheikh Hasina-led Awami League government, was a candidate for the scheduled February 12 general elections.
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He was shot in the head on December 12 by masked gunmen at an election campaign in central Dhaka’s Bijoynagar area and died while undergoing treatment in Singapore on December 18.
“Due to the recent security incident at Assistant High Commission of India (AHCI) Chittagong, Indian visa operations at IVAC Chittagong (Chattogram) will remain suspended from 21/12/2025 until further notice,” the Indian Visa Application Centre (IVAC) said in a brief statement.
The announcement for reopening the visa centre will be made after reviewing the situation, the statement added. The decision came into effect on Sunday.
There are five IVAC facilities across Bangladesh at Dhaka, Khulna, Rajshahi, Chattogram and Sylhet. An IVAC official told PTI that the other four offices have remained operational as of Sunday.
India on Thursday resumed operations at its visa application centre in Dhaka, a day after closing it over escalated security concerns, but closed for a brief period two other identical facilities in Rajshahi and Khulna as anti-India protestors tried to march towards the Indian missions there.
On Saturday, security was strengthened at the Indian Assistant High Commission office and the visa application centre in Bangladesh's Sylhet city.
The enhanced security measures were put in place to ensure that “no third party can exploit the situation,” Additional Deputy Commissioner (Media) of the Sylhet Metropolitan Police Saiful Islam was quoted as saying by The Dhaka Tribune newspaper on Saturday.
Hadi, 32, was laid to rest on Saturday amid extra-tight security beside the grave of National Poet Kazi Nazrul Islam near the Dhaka University mosque.
Tens of thousands of people attended the funeral prayers, and ahead of the ritual, chanted anti-India slogans like “Delhi or Dhaka - Dhaka, Dhaka” and “brother Hadi’s blood will not be allowed to go in vain.”
Earlier on December 17, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) summoned Bangladesh envoy Riaz Hamidullah and conveyed its strong concern over certain extremist elements announcing plans to create a security situation around the Indian mission in Dhaka.
“We expect the interim government to ensure the safety of Missions and Posts in Bangladesh in keeping with its diplomatic obligations,” it said.
The envoy was apprised of India's strong concerns about the deteriorating security environment in Bangladesh, it added.
