New Delhi (PTI): As fresh violence erupted in Manipur, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Sunday alleged the ruling party deliberately wants the border state to burn as "it serves their hateful divisive politics".

Meanwhile, Union Home Minister Amit Shah has cancelled his poll rallies in Maharashtra in view of the escalating violence in Manipur.

Kharge said the people of state will never forgive or forget that Prime Minister Narendra Modi left them to fend for themselves and never set foot in their state to heal their miseries.

"@narendramodi ji, Under your double engine governments, 'neither Manipur is one, nor is Manipur Safe'," the Congress president said in a post on X.

"Since May 2023, it is undergoing unimaginable pain, division and simmering violence, which has destroyed the future of its people.

"We are saying it with utmost responsibility that it looks that the BJP deliberately wants Manipur to burn, for it serves its hateful divisive politics," he said.

Kharge said at least 17 people have lost their lives since November 7, adding new districts are being added to the list of strife-torn regions and the fire is spilling over to bordering northeastern states.

"You have failed Manipur — a beautiful border state. Even if you visit Manipur in future, people of the state will never forgive or forget that you left them to fend for themselves, and never set foot in their state to heal their miseries and find a solution," the Congress chief said.

Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi also termed the recent string of violent clashes and continuing bloodshed in Manipur "deeply disturbing".

He urged Prime Minister Modi to visit the state and work towards restoring peace in the region.

In a post on X, Gandhi said the recent string of violent clashes and continuing bloodshed in Manipur is deeply disturbing.

"After more than a year of division and suffering, it was the hope of every Indian that the Central and state governments would make every effort at reconciliation and found a solution," the former Congress chief said.

"I urge the PM once again to visit Manipur and work towards restoring peace and healing in the region," he said.

A day after the bodies of three out of six missing persons were fished out of a river in Manipur, the protesters on Saturday attacked the residences of three state ministers and six MLAs, prompting the government to clamp prohibitory orders in five districts for an indefinite period besides suspending internet services in parts of the state.

In Imphal, angry protesters ransacked the houses of three legislators, including that of Chief Minister N Biren Singh's son-in-law, and set their properties on fire even as the security forces fired tear gas shells to disperse the agitators.

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Bareilly (UP) (PTI): A local court here has sentenced a man to life imprisonment for murdering his mentally challenged wife by repeatedly electrocuting her while she was tied to a cot, lawyers said on Thursday.

Additional district government counsel Harendra Singh Rathore said Additional Sessions Judge Avinash Kumar Singh on Wednesday convicted Vinod Kumar (45) for killing his wife, Satyavati, in Chaina village of Bareilly district and imposed a fine of Rs 15,000 on him.

According to the prosecution, he was allegedly frustrated with his wife Satyavati's mental illness and often assaulted her.

Rathore said the prosecution examined nine witnesses to establish the charges against him.

As per court records, on the night of May 1-2, 2022, when Satyavati was asleep, Vinod tied her hands and legs to a cot using ropes and then connected an aluminium cable to an electric board to repeatedly administer electric shocks to her.

"She writhed in pain, but the accused continued to electrocute her until she died," the prosecution said.

The court observed that the murder was carried out in an inhuman manner.

After committing the crime, the accused threw the rope and cable on the roof and left for work at a brick kiln around 2 am to create a false alibi.

He later tried to mislead the police and the victim's family by claiming that Satyavati, whose mental condition was unstable, had accidentally died by suicide after grabbing a live electric wire.

However, the victim's brother, Sanjeev, a resident of Shahjahanpur district, suspected foul play and lodged an FIR under sections 498A (husband subjecting wife to cruelty) and 302 (murder) of the Indian Penal Code at Nawabganj police station.

During the trial, the prosecution relied on the post-mortem report prepared by Dr Faraz Anwar, who stated that multiple electrocution marks found on different parts of the victim's body could not have been self-inflicted.

The police also recovered the rope and electric wire used in the crime on the accused's identification, officials said.