Kharge slams PM Modi over Manipur situation, demands sacking of BJP's 'incompetent' CM
New Delhi (PTI): Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Wednesday attacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the situation in Manipur and demanded that he sack BJP's "incompetent" chief minister as a first step to control the turmoil.
He also alleged that the violence against women and children has been weaponised and accused the BJP of turning Manipur into a battlefield.
A clash occurred in the Singjamei area of Imphal on Tuesday night between RAF personnel and locals protesting the killing of two students, who had been missing since July 6, prompting the law enforcers to lob tear gas shells and fire rubber bullets at the agitators and baton-charge them, leaving 45 of the protesters, mostly students, injured.
"For 147 days, people of Manipur are suffering, but PM Modi does not have time to visit the state. The horrific images of students being targeted in this violence has once again shocked the entire nation," he said on X.
"It is now apparent that violence against women and children was weaponised in this strife. The beautiful state of Manipur has been turned into a battlefield, all because of the BJP," he said.
"High time, PM Modi sacks BJP's incompetent Manipur Chief Minister. This would be the first step to control any further turmoil," the Congress leader said.
The Congress has been targeting the government on the issue of Manipur violence and has been questioning why the prime minister has not visited the violence-hit state.
The situation remained calm but tense in Imphal on Wednesday morning after the clash between students and Rapid Action Force (RAF) personnel the previous night.
Manipur Police, Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and RAF personnel were seen deployed in strength throughout Imphal Valley in anticipation of possible protests and violence.
Although the state government has declared a holiday for schools on Wednesday, students of some Imphal-based institutions vowed to congregate at their schools, sparking speculations of more protests later in the day.
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Man arrested with Rs 2.54-crore heroin in Mumbai
Mumbai (PTI): Police have arrested a man and seized over 500 grams of heroin worth Rs 2.54 crore in the illicit market from him in Mumbai, officials said on Friday.
The police's Anti-Narcotics Cell (ANC) made the drug seizure in Santacruz in the western suburbs. The operation was conducted by the Kandivali unit of the ANC on Thursday as part of a special crackdown against drug trafficking in the area, they said.
Acting on specific inputs, an ANC team conducted a raid in Santacruz (East) and intercepted a man. During a search, the team recovered 508 grams of high-grade heroin from his possession, an official said.
The seized contraband, a highly addictive, opioid drug derived from morphine, is estimated to be worth Rs 2.54 crore in the international market, he informed.
Following the seizure, a case was registered against the man under relevant sections of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985, and he was formally placed under arrest in the early hours of Friday.
The police are currently investigating the source of the drug and trying to identify the intended recipients of the consignment, he said.
