West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee slammed Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday for his “delayed” visit to violence-torn Manipur, saying “the Centre should have gone to the state earlier,” but they “did not have the time.”
“What will they do if they leave now?” There have been so many deaths. Nobody knows how many people have died. “The country wants to know the truth about what is going on in Manipur,” Mamata Banerjee told the media.
Earlier in the day, Amit Shah travelled to Churachandpur, the scene of some of the worst rioting in recent memory, to meet with Kuki civil society leaders. On this, the West Bengal Chief Minister stated, “I wrote a letter (to the Home Minister) yesterday stating that I want to go to Manipur for a day to meet the peace-loving people.” “I sent the letter yesterday, and that is why he (Amit Shah) went there today.”
“I want to be with the people of Manipur…” “I have no intention of breaking any protocol, but I wish to be with the state’s peace-loving people,” she added.
Amit Shah arrived in Manipur late Monday night and met with Chief Minister N Biren Singh and other leaders. On Tuesday, he met with stakeholders, beginning with a breakfast meeting with a group of women leaders, as part of his initiative to bring peace to the state.
Earlier in the day, the Centre announced that it will compensate the kin of those who died during the ethnic conflict in Manipur with ten lakh rupees. They will also employ one member of the family.
Interethnic violence erupted on May 3 during a solidarity march called by the All Tribal Student Union Manipur (ATSUM) in protest of an April 19 Manipur high court order directing the state government to consider giving the Meitei community Centre Scheduled Caste (ST) reservation.
So far, at least 80 people have been killed in the violence. Thousands have been displaced, and over 2,000 homes have been destroyed across the state.
According to reports, approximately 10,000 personnel from the Indian Army and Assam Rifles, as well as paramilitary forces, have been deployed to restore normalcy in the northeastern state.
