News Analysis India

Tag: Manipur

  • Manipur govt diverting urea for poppy plantations, claims Jairam Ramesh

    Express News Service

    GUWAHATI: Congress leader Jairam Ramesh on Tuesday accused the BJP government in Manipur of diverting its quota of urea to the state’s hill districts where poppy is allegedly grown for opium.

    In a tweet captioned “BJP’s Vikas in Manipur”, Ramesh wrote: “Manipur is getting TWICE the supply of urea it needs and yet farmers complain of shortage! Why?

    “Because urea is diverted to hill areas in Manipur, where poppy is being grown for opium in large areas in last 4 yrs. The State Govt is fully complicit in this.”

    Ramesh, who has been appointed as the party’s observer for next year’s Assembly elections in the state, attached a statement issued recently by the Loumi Shimee Apunba Lup, an Imphal-based farmers’ body that had demanded a probe into the shortage of urea for peasants.

    Urea is extensively used in illegal poppy cultivation. The farmers in the state claimed the poppy/opium business thrives in some hilly areas.

    ALSO READ | Don’t weaken ‘Mahajot’, AIUDF tells Congress after being removed from the alliance in Assam

    The farmers’ organisation had said it received complaints on a regular basis from the farmers over shortage of urea due to smuggling. Protesting the “artificial” crisis, the farmers had also staged sit-in demos and a hunger strike.

    Manipur has 81,189 hectares of paddy fields in the Imphal valley. The size of paddy fields in the hills, which surround the valley, is 88,820 hectares. Farming has been affected in around 20,000 hectares due to various developmental projects.

    Manipur’s total urea requirement is 2.43 lakh bags – a farmer needs three 45-kg urea bags per hectare. The Centre had allotted 4.4 lakh urea bags to the state which was 1.97 lakh bags more than the state’s requirement, the farmers’ body had said.

    Alleging black marketing, it added that there have been several instances of urea being smuggled into neighbouring Myanmar where poppy is grown aplenty.

    In February, Chief Minister N Biren Singh had offered a cash reward of Rs 10 lakh to a village in the Ukhrul district for voluntarily destroying poppy plants grown in the village.

  • Very elated because my services have been recognised: Newly-appointed Manipur Governor La Ganesan

    By ANI

    NEW DELHI: Senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader and newly appointed Manipur Governor La Ganesan on Sunday expressed happiness over recognition of his services by the party. “I feel very elated because my services have been recognised. I am prepared to work in any place in India. BJP has given me an opportunity to work in Madhya Pradesh before and now in the northeast,” he stated.

    “Emotionally, I feel that entire Bharat is one. Now by experience, I will feel that the entire Bharat is one,” he added.

    On being asked about the current issues in Manipur, Ganesan said that he has not taken the charge as the Governor yet and will only understand the core issues of the state once he takes the charge. “I am not alone. There is a whole party with me. Together we will be successful in our duties,” he added.

    He further stated that coincidentally he has replaced Najma Heptulla twice- once when he became a member of Rajya Sabha from Madhya Pradesh and now when he became the governor of Manipur.

    Earlier in the day, Ganesan was appointed as the new governor of Manipur by President Ram Nath Kovind. He became the 17th governor of the state as he replaced the incumbent governor Najma Heptulla.

  • Manipur govt order on I-Day celebrations ruffles Naga organisation’s feathers

    Express News Service

    GUWAHATI: The Manipur chief secretary’s order asking all village authorities to collect the Tricolour from the respective sub-divisional officer (SDO) and hoist it on Independence Day on Sunday met with opposition.

    The United Naga Council (UNC), which is the state’s apex Naga civil society organisation, called for a bandh from Saturday midnight till Sunday midnight in protest against the order.

    “As per minutes of the meeting held on 07/08/2021 chaired by Chief Secretary, Government of Manipur, all headmen/chiefs of all villages under Ukhrul district are hereby notified to celebrate the 75th Independence Day by hoisting the national flag in their respective villages while adhering to Covid appropriate behaviour. 

    “Further, all the headmen/chiefs are requested to collect national flag from their concerned SDOs,” a notification issued by Ukhrul District Magistrate Joseph Pauline Kamson reads.

    ALSO READ | Nagaland MLAs, MPs to pressure Centre for early solution on Naga issue

    A similar notification was issued by all DMs. The UNC demanded that the Chief Secretary retract the order at the earliest and warned that in the event of failure to do so, it would take its own course of action.

    The organisation directed all apex organizations of the Nagas in the districts, women, students, and tribal bodies to strictly enforce the total shutdown in their jurisdiction.

    “India is a democratic country and the Naga people had never opposed the celebration of Indian Independence Day. It is unprecedented that the Government of Manipur and district administrations are resorting to such cheap tactics to further suppress the political aspiration of Naga people and decades-long struggle for achieving enduring peace in the region,” the UNC said in a statement.

    “The Naga people vehemently condemn the recent provocative action of state security forces in dishonoring the sanctity of Naga National Flag and the people of Chandel district in particular. The ransacking of Naga People Organization (NPO) office, Senapati and Senapati District Students’ Association (SDSA) office and snatching away of Naga Flag by the Assam Riffles are tantamount to insulting the Naga people,” the statement further reads.

    The UNC appealed to the general public and the Nagas, in particular, to extend their fullest cooperation to the bandh.

  • Manipur scribe, held under NSA, released after court’s order

    Express News Service
    GUWAHATI: Manipur journalist Kishorchandra Wangkhem, who was charged under the National Security Act (NSA) by the state’s BJP-led government for his remarks ‘cow dung and cow urine don’t cure COVID-19’, was released from jail on Friday at 4:10 pm.

    Earlier in the day, the Manipur High Court had ordered the state government to release him “forthwith and in any event, no later than 5 pm”. Wangkhem’s wife Elangbam Ranjita had moved the court challenging his detention.

    Imphal-based activist Erendro Leichombam was released on Monday following a similar order by the Supreme Court. Both were arrested on May 13 on the same charges.

    Wangkhem said he was considering moving the Supreme Court to thwart the misuse of NSA.

    “My PIL against the sedition law is pending in the Supreme Court. I am now contemplating on doing something about the draconian NSA law. I will talk to my lawyers and see if I can move the Supreme Court,” the journalist told The New Indian Express following his release.

    Accusing the government of abusing powers to silence the dissenting voice, he alleged he was targeted as he was conducting an investigation for a story relating to Covid-19. He claimed Covid cases had surged in Manipur following the return of some 200-250 people from Kumbh Mela.

    “Probably, the government got a wind of what I was up to and put me in jail to make sure I cannot speak the truth,” Wangkhem said.

    “This is a total dictatorship. I knew this government will do something rubbish just to silence me. I think we need to do a campaign so that this draconian law is never used by those in power,” he added.

    A bench of Chief Justice PV Sanjay Kumar and Justice Kh Nobin Singh of Manipur High Court said: “On the face of it, we find no distinction or difference between the case of the petitioner’s husband (Wangkhem) and that of Erendro Leichombam. Both of them put up similar Facebook posts, critical of the utility of cow dung and cow urine in treating coronavirus…

    “As they stand identically situated, we are of the opinion that the continued incarceration of the petitioner’s husband would be as much a violation of Article 21 of the Constitution, as it was in the case of Erendro Leichombam.”

  • Manipur arrests: Government sources dismiss media reports, say two individuals habitual offenders

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI: Dismissing media reports about two men having been jailed in India for saying cow urine and dung do not cure COVID-19, government sources on Friday said the two individuals have been “habitual offenders” of inciting enmity in society, and that some foreign media outlets have presented a “distorted, pernicious and one-sided perspective” on the issue.

    The clarification followed news reports that two men have been “arrested in India for saying cow urine and dung do not cure COVID-19”.

    The reports claimed that the pair have been held in Manipur for 45 days so far for dispelling a politician’s claim.

    In a strong rebuttal of these reports, including in a British newspaper, the government sources said they presented a “distorted, pernicious and one-sided perspective” about the two individuals involved in the case, and about the action taken by the government of Manipur in this regard.

    The report has not presented the perspective of the complainants, thereby giving a lop-sided narrative about the related incidents, the government sources said.

    The sources further said one of the persons mentioned in the report labelled as an activist, in the past, has been involved in multiple anti-social activities which have risked disturbance of social harmony, loss of public tranquillity, and impacted cordiality of relations between various social sections in society.

    In the present case, the person’s statements on social media were alleged to bring hatred, outrage religious feelings and sentiments, and thereby disturbing the public order in society.

    On a complaint received by the local police, he was arrested as per the due procedure of law, and was remanded to police custody for four days vide order dated May 14 by the court of Chief Judicial Magistrate, Imphal West, Manipur, the sources said.

    A similar position exists in the matter related to the other person mentioned in the news reports, they added.

    The sources said the two men are “habitual offenders” causing fear and alarm to the public, with their actions and statements having a potential to incite any class or community or person to commit offences against other class or community thus promoting enmity.

    “What has been conveniently ignored is the profile of these individuals, who have committed anti-social activities in the name of social activism and made a deliberate attempt to destroy social harmony and bonhomie between various communities in the Indian State of Manipur,” a government source said.

    “We regret that the report completely neglects the ground reality and presents sensational journalistic accounts of matters pertaining to India, which has of late become a tool to gain visibility in the media space and eye-balls among the non-Indian audience,” the source said.

  • MHA to review COVID situation in North-East states on July 7

    Express News Service
    NEW DELHI: Concerned over the rise in coronavirus cases in some north east states, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has called a special meeting on Wednesday to review covid preparedness and vaccine rollout in the seven Northeast states and Union Territories.

    Officials said that the first-of-its-kind meeting for North-East states has been called after the ministry noticed a spike in a few states in the Northeast and in UTs such as Chandigarh.

    Officials told New Indian Express that the meeting has been called to address the concerns about the spread of the Covid-19 virus and its variants especially in far flung areas in the Northeastern region of the country.

    “In parts of the North East, it was noticed that vaccination was moving at a slow rate for several reasons, one of them being inaccessibility of far-flung areas. The meeting has been called to sort out logistical issues and deal with other such issues and to ensure faster rollout of vaccines in these regions,” a senior MHA official said. 

    The official added that logistical problems in administering vaccines were also reported from parts of UTs such as Andaman and Nicobar, and Lakshwadeep.

    The Union Home Secretary, Ajay Bhalla, will chair the high-level meeting with the country’s top brass involved in dealing with the second surge of the pandemic – NITI Aayog member Dr VK Paul, Rajesh Bhushan the Union Health Secretary, Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) DG Dr Balram Bhargava, Sujeet Singh, director of the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) and chiefs of several other departments.

    Health officials from these states and UTs, who have also been asked to attend the meeting and have been asked to prepare presentations from their respective areas detailing the present Covid-19 and the status of their vaccination programs. 

    The meeting is likely to be held through video conference.

    The meeting comes in the backdrop of the Union health ministry sending six special teams to states with high case load, including parts of the North east–Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur and Tripura, last week. The MHA, which is also the custodian of the Disaster Management Act (DMA) will also ask these states and UTs to properly implement the act during various stages of the unlock process, sources said. 

  • Plea in SC challenges detention of Manipur’s political activist under NSA

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI: A plea has been filed in the Supreme Court challenging the preventive detention of a Manipur-based political activist under the National Security Act (NSA), alleging that it has been done “solely to punish him” for his criticism of BJP leaders purportedly advocating cow dung and cow urine as cures for COVID-19.

    The plea, filed by father of political activist Leichombam Erendro, claimed that his son had on May 13 posted on Facebook that cure for coronavirus is not cow’s dung and urine.

    “The statement was made in the context of the death of the President of the Manipur BJP due to COVID-19, as a criticism of the unscientific position taken and misinformation being spread by several BJP politicians regarding cow urine and cow dung being effective in preventing/treating COVID-19,” the plea said, adding that the post was deleted soon after being posted on May 13 itself.

    The petition, filed through advocate Shadan Farasat, has alleged that for this criticism Erendro has spent some days in custody pursuant to criminal cases initiated against him and thereafter in preventive detention after grant of bail.

    “The present case is a shocking instance of misuse of preventive detention law to stifle completely innocuous speech that is fully constitutionally protected and was made in public interest – Erendro, a Manipuri political activist, has been preventively detained solely to punish him for his criticism of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders for advocating cow dung and cow urine as cures for COVID-19,” the plea has alleged.

    It has sought quashing of May 17 detention order and the grounds of detention issued by District Magistrate, Imphal West District.

    The plea has also sought direction to the concerned authorities to set Erendro, who is the co-convenor of political outfit Peoples’ Resurgence and Justice Alliance, at liberty forthwith.

    It said that appropriate compensation, including cost of litigation, should be awarded to the petitioner and his son for the alleged illegal detention that Erendro has suffered.

    The plea has claimed that his detention is in violation of the apex court’s April 30 order and a separate contempt petition has also been filed in the top court.

    On April 30, the apex court, while hearing the suo motu case on distribution of essential supplies and services during the pandemic, had warned authorities — from the Centre down to the police chiefs — against silencing people and their pleas for help on the presumption that they are raising false grievances on the internet.

    The top court had made clear that any attempt to clampdown on free flow of information on social media including the call for help from people would be treated as the contempt of court.

    The plea said that four FIRs have been registered against Erendro by Manipur Police.

    It said Erendro was arrested on May 13 itself and was remanded to police custody till May 17, the date on which his bail application was to be listed for consideration before the trial court.

    It alleged that in anticipation of the trial court’s consideration of the matter and “knowing fully well about the completely flimsy nature of the criminal proceedings”, the district magistrate passed an order for preventive detention under the NSA to “render infructuous the bail” to be granted by the court.

    The plea said Erendro was granted bail but was not released due to the detention order.

  • Mob in Manipur torches Assam Rifles vehicles, firearms after civilian’s death

    Express News Service
    GUWAHATI: A mob of dozens of villagers torched two Assam Rifles vehicles and four weapons in Manipur after the paramilitary force had shot dead a civilian.

    The incident occurred in Kangpokpi district on Friday night. The deceased was identified as Mangboilal Lhouvum, a daily wage labourer from Chalwa village in the district. He was seriously injured and succumbed to his injuries later.

    A “road opening party” of 44 Assam Rifles, based at Banglabung village, was travelling to adjoining Chalwa village when the incident occurred. The police have taken an Army Major, who is on deputation with the Assam Rifles, into their custody.

    After the incident, the locals vented their ire outside the Assam Rifles camp by resorting to arson. They also tried to attack the Major while he was being taken away by the police.

    It was not immediately known what led to the incident. The police refused to share any details stating that they were getting various narratives of the incident. The Assam Rifles too did not share anything.

  • Three Manipur insurgency leaders killed in Myanmar in group clash

    By PTI
    GUWAHATI: Three senior leaders of a banned insurgent outfit of Manipur, People’s Revolutionary Party of Kangleipak (PREPAK), were allegedly killed in an intra-group rivalry in their hideouts in neighbouring Myanmar, officials said on Saturday.

    The PREPAK’s ‘acting chairman’ Khumujam Ratan, ‘organisation secretary’ Mayengbam Joychand and another leader Rajkumar Ramananda were allegedly killed in Chin province of Myanmar and buried in a forested area there last week, security officials said.

    The three leaders were allegedly killed at the behest of another top leader, Aheiba Angom, who had “embezzled” more than Rs 5 crore of the outfit’s funds, they said.

    The slain leaders had reportedly ordered an inquiry into this financial irregularities leading to their killings, the officials said.

    To hide the crime, Angom allegedly floated a rumour that the three leaders died in a road accident on May 23 and that their bodies were retrieved from a deep gorge and the last rites were performed in a camp of the outfit, officials said.

    But now, it has been established that the three PREPAK leaders were killed in an intra-group rivalry, the officials said.

  • Assam Rifles sets up COVID-19 vaccination centre in Manipur’s Tamenglong

    By ANI
    TAMENGLONG (MANIPUR): The 44 Assam Rifles, along with district health officials, have set up a COVID-19 vaccination Centre in Manipur’s Tamenglong district.

    The initiative has been taken under the aegis of 22 Sect AR/IGAR(E), the Assam Rifles informed on Thursday.

    Presently, there are only four such centres including the 44 Assam Rifles vaccination centre, it added.

    Earlier on Wednesday, Chief Minister N Biren Singh said, “In Ukhrul, the mortality rate is low, only 8 people have died till today and in Senapati, only 7 people died. The spread of COVID cases is a little high so home isolation has been conducted, medication and distribution of oximeters is going on.”

    “Within 10-15 days, there’ll be one PSA oxygen plant in each hill district. I’ve also given oxygen concentrators to hill districts. In Senapati, I also provided 1 ambulance,” he added.

    There are currently 7,243 active COVID-19 cases in Manipur, as per data from the union health ministry. So far, 38,325 recoveries and 730 deaths have been reported in the state.