Three militants arrested in Manipur for threatening Sangai festival participants
Three militants arrested in Manipur for threatening Sangai festival participants
Imphal (PTI): Three militants of a banned organisation in Manipur were arrested from two districts for allegedly issuing threats to participants of the recently concluded Sangai festival, a senior officer said on Friday.
Five cases were registered in connection with the alleged threats by the proscribed G-5 to those who had attended the Sangai festival, a tourism event, he said.
"Three cadres of G-5 have been arrested from Imphal West and Imphal East districts. Investigations are underway to identify several others and take necessary legal action against those who were involved in issuing threats," the officer said.
The G-5 comprises five proscribed organisations - UNLF, KCP, KYKL, Prepak, and Prepak (Pro) - which "imposed a one-year ban on performance by four drama troupes for participating in the Sangai festival", he said.
The group also asked all stall owners and those who took part in the festival to issue a public apology before December 10, the officer said.
The Manipur Police "assured that strict action will be taken against any attempt to intimidate or disrupt cultural activities and public events in the state".
Governor Ajay Kumar Bhalla had said the Sangai festival served as an important outreach platform, bringing together tourism stakeholders from across the country and abroad.
However, the tourism festival, which was held after a three-year gap due to the ethnic conflict, recorded an abysmally low turnout, amid protests by internally displaced persons (IDPs).
More than 260 people have been killed and thousands rendered homeless in ethnic violence between Imphal Valley-based Meiteis and adjoining hills-based Kukis since May 2023.
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Congress using hijab issue to pacify minority anger, alleges Karnataka LoP R Ashoka
Bengaluru: Leader of Opposition in the Assembly R. Ashoka has accused the Congress government of using the hijab issue to placate what he described as discontent among minority voters after the Davanagere by-election.
In a post on X on Wednesday, Ashoka alleged that the state government, instead of addressing issues such as price rise, corruption, farmers’ distress and law and order, was attempting to retain its minority vote base by reviving the hijab issue.
Referring to the 2022 dress code introduced by the BJP government, which prohibited hijab in schools and colleges, Ashoka said the Karnataka High Court had upheld the policy and emphasised the importance of discipline in educational institutions.
He questioned the Congress government’s move to revisit the issue and asked whether setting aside the court-backed policy to benefit one community could be described as secularism.
Ashoka further alleged that while the government was willing to permit hijab, it continued to prohibit saffron shawls.
He accused the government of dividing students on religious lines rather than treating schools and colleges as spaces of equality.
Drawing a comparison with Mamata Banerjee’s government in West Bengal, Ashoka claimed that excessive appeasement politics had harmed the state and warned that the Congress in Karnataka could face a similar political response.
He said voters in Karnataka would teach the Congress a lesson for what he termed “vote-bank politics” and for compromising constitutional and judicial principles.
