Violence in Manipur caused by 'vicious agenda' of communal forces, says Kerala CM

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Saturday termed the accounts of violence emerging from Manipur as "horrifying" and alleged that the ongoing strife in the northeastern state was caused by the "vicious agenda of fuelling communal tensions".

All secular and democratic forces should demand the restoration of peace and normalcy in Manipur, he urged through his social media handles.

"Horrifying accounts of violence from #Manipur have shattered the conscience of every Indian. The ongoing strife in the state is caused by the vicious agenda of fueling communal tensions. All secular & democratic forces should demand the restoration of peace & normalcy in Manipur," he tweeted.

Horrifying accounts of violence from #Manipur have shattered the conscience of every Indian. The ongoing strife in the state is caused by the vicious agenda of fueling communal tensions. All secular & democratic forces should demand the restoration of peace & normalcy in Manipur.

— Pinarayi Vijayan (@pinarayivijayan) July 22, 2023

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In a detailed Facebook post, the CPI(M) veteran said the ethnic violence, which has been continuing in Manipur for more than two months, can be viewed only with apprehension.

Horrifying visuals that haunt human consciousness keep coming from that state, he said adding that the women belonging to the Kuki community were hunted down by the mob of rioters in the most despicable and brutal manners.

Charging that a deliberate attempt to target the Christian community is happening in Manipur, Vijayan, a member of the CPI(M) politburo, said the churches of the tribal communities are widely attacked and destroyed there.

He accused the Sangh Parivar of having an agenda to turn the state into a riot zone for the sake of power politics and urged the secular community in the country to realise this.

The BJP-led Union government's silence on the issue and the Sangh Parivar agenda behind the violence have been strongly criticised in the country now, he said.

It is the duty of the people believing in democratic principles to resist and defeat such deliberate attempts to strengthen communal polarisation, the CM added.

More than 160 people have died, and several have been injured since ethnic violence broke out in Manipur on May 3, when a 'Tribal Solidarity March' was organised in the hill districts to protest against the majority Meitei community's demand for Scheduled Tribe (ST) status.

Meiteis account for about 53 per cent of Manipur's population and live mostly in the Imphal Valley, while tribals, which include Nagas and Kukis, constitute 40 per cent and reside mostly in the hill districts of the state.