Manipur violence: Opposition MPs stage night protest at Parliament
A group of opposition MPs staged a sit-in in front of Mahatma Gandhi's statue at Parliament House throughout the intervening night of Monday and Tuesday to protest the disruption of the Parliament proceedings. The MPs from the newly-formed opposition bloc Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) held placards reading "INDIA for Manipur." They have been demanding a discussion on the situation in Manipur.
Why does this story matter?
The situation in Manipur—which has been witnessing ethnic clashes for nearly three months—took center stage last week after a video of a mob allegedly parading two Kuki women naked went viral. The opposition accused the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of deliberately avoiding discussing the Manipur issue. The stalemate between the government and the opposition has stalled parliamentary proceedings in the ongoing Monsoon Session.
Opposition demanding PM Modi's statement on Manipur
The opposition has demanded that Prime Minister Narendra Modi make a comprehensive statement in the Parliament on the Manipur violence, saying that a discussion on the issue can take place only after the statement. The government on Friday agreed to hold a discussion on Manipur, saying that Union Home Minister Amit Shah will respond on the matter.
Protest in solidarity with Sanjay Singh: TMC's Saket Gokhale
Leaders from the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), Congress, and Trinamool Congress (TMC) joined the protest. TMC MP Saket Gokhale said the protest also expressed solidarity with the AAP's Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh, who was suspended for the remaining Parliament Monsoon Session due to unruly behavior on Monday. Gokhale said Singh was suspended "merely for asking PM Modi" to address the Manipur issue.
6 arrested in Manipur viral video incident so far
Regardless, Singh was among the other MPs who sat near Mahatma Gandhi's statue in Parliament House on Tuesday morning, calling for "justice for Manipur." The Manipur Police has arrested six people in the Manipur incident, which took place on May 4, after its video went viral on Wednesday. The violence has claimed the lives of around 160 people and displaced over 70,000 people.
