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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11 more bodies retrieved from Arunachal accident site
Itanagar (PTI): Eleven more bodies were retrieved on Saturday from the deep gorge in Arunachal Pradesh's Anjaw district, where a mini-truck on which 22 labourers from Assam were travelling fell, an official said.
With this, 17 bodies have been recovered from the accident site, Anjaw's deputy commissioner Milo Kojin said.
He said three more bodies will be brought out on Sunday.
The operation, being conducted by a joint team of the NDRF and Army, resumed at 6 am.
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"The retrieval process was extremely difficult because of the treacherous terrain, and the gorge is very deep," Kojin said.
The operation was suspended around 4 pm due to low visibility and will be resumed on Sunday morning, he said.
"One person is still missing, and a search operation will be carried out tomorrow," he added.
The accident happened on the evening of December 8, around 40 km from Hayuliang towards Chaglagam in the district. On the evening of December 10, one survivor managed to climb out of the gorge and reach a nearby Border Roads Task Force (BRTF) labour camp, following which the authorities were alerted.
Six bodies were recovered from the gorge on Friday and handed over to their families on Saturday.
