Urge PM Modi and Amit Shah to restore peace in Manipur: Mamata

Kolkata: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday expressed concern over the situation in violence-torn Manipur, and urged the prime minister and home minister to take steps to restore peace in the northeastern state.

The Trinamool Congress supremo also urged the people of Manipur to stay calm and uphold peace.

“I am deeply concerned about the situation in Manipur. Politics and elections can wait but our beautiful state of Manipur has to be protected first. I urge PM (Narendra) Modi and Amit Shah (home minister) to take steps to restore peace there. If we burn humanity today, we will cease to be a human tomorrow,” Banerjee tweeted.

The Manipur government on Thursday issued ‘shoot at sight’ orders in “extreme cases” to contain spiralling violence between tribals and the majority Meitei community, which has displaced over 9,000 people from their villages.

Fifty-five columns of the Army and Assam Rifles had to be deployed to contain the widespread rioting that broke out across Manipur.

The Centre, which is monitoring the situation in Manipur, also dispatched teams of the Rapid Action Force (RAF), a specialised force to handle riots, for deployment in violence-hit areas of the northeastern state.