Silence on Manipur not normal: MP Akoijam
New Delhi, Jul 2: Lok Sabha member A Bimol Akoijam expressed his anguish over the absence of any reference to ethnic violence-hit Manipur in President Droupadi Murmu's address to the joint sitting of both Houses of Parliament.
In a fiery speech late Monday night, the first-time Congress member from Inner Manipur drew attention to the 60,000 people living in deplorable conditions in relief camps in the northeastern state for the past year.
Akoijam, a professor at the Jawaharlal Nehru University, was the last speaker in the Lok Sabha on Monday and spoke close to midnight.
"The hurt, the anger has thrown a nobody like me to be part of this temple of democracy, beating the BJP cabinet minister. Think about the pain. I will keep quiet the moment the Prime Minister opens his mouth and the nationalist party says that Manipur is a part of India and we care for the people of that state," said Akoijam, who defeated Union minister Rajkumar Ranjan Singh in the recent elections.
He said every inch of Manipur was covered by central armed forces, yet 60,000 people were rendered homeless, and thousands of villages were destroyed.
"Our prime minister remains silent, not even uttering a word, and the President's address failed to mention this. This silence is not normal," Akoijam said in his speech.
He said over 200 people have died, and a civil war-like situation has ensued, with armed individuals roaming around, fighting each other, and defending their villages, while the Indian state has remained a mute spectator to this tragedy for one year.
"Is this silence communicating to the people of the Northeast and particularly Manipur that you do not matter in the Indian State's scheme of things," Akoijam wondered.
He said the absence of the Manipur crisis in the President's address to Parliament on Friday was a reminder of the 'rashtra chetana' (national consciousness) which excludes people.
"Today, we are observing a day where we implement new criminal laws, seemingly to discard colonial heritage... This continuity (of colonialism) is shown by neglecting the tragedy of a state which is the 19th state of the Union," the Congress MP said referring to the three criminal justice laws that came into force on July 1.
Akoijam said it was "sad to see a nationalist party like the BJP being comfortable with the silence on Manipur's tragedy".
"Keep your hands on your heart and think about the homeless, the mothers and the widows. Think of them and then talk about nationalism," he said.
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Jammu: Bus driver brutally beaten by cow vigilante after accidentally hitting stray calf
Jammu: A bus driver was severely beaten by a self-proclaimed cow vigilante after his vehicle accidentally hit and killed a stray calf and bull in the Ghati area of Kathua district on Tuesday night.
The driver, identified as Ramesh Kumar, was pulled out of his bus and assaulted with wooden sticks by Ravinder Singh, the vigilante, leaving him critically injured.
The incident occurred when the bus struck the stray animals on the road, resulting in their deaths. Singh, along with his supporters, confronted Kumar and began the assault despite his desperate pleas for mercy. Singh's relentless attack left the driver in critical condition, necessitating immediate medical treatment at a local hospital.
The attack has incited outrage in the community, leading to widespread protests. Residents took to the streets, demanding Singh's immediate arrest and condemning his actions. Protesters argued that Singh had no right to take the law into his own hands and should have reported the incident to the police instead of resorting to violence.
The community is calling for justice for Ramesh Kumar and is urging for stricter measures to prevent such vigilante actions in the future.
This incident is part of a troubling trend of assaults by cow vigilantes in India. Just two days prior, two lemon traders from Haryana were thrashed by a group of about 20 cow vigilantes in Rajasthan's Churu district under suspicion of transporting cows.
