Tue 20 June 2023:

A Christian organisation based out of Kerala on Tuesday wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi demanding imposition of President’s rule in ethnic violence-hit Manipur.

The Assembly of Christian Trust Services (ACTS), which has two Bishops as its chief patrons, said in the letter that as no lasting remedy has been found so far in Manipur, it requests an emergency interference by the Central government.

“Even after the visit of Home Minister Amit Shah, there is no respite to the troubled situation in Manipur. In this context, we request the Central government to impose President’s rule in Manipur in order to ensure the safety and peaceful coexistence of people,” the letter read.

OVER 50,000 PEOPLE NOW LIVING IN 350 RELIEF CAMPS IN INDIAN STATE OF MANIPUR DUE TO VIOLENCE

249 churches burnt in Manipur

Amid clashes between Manipur’s Meitei and Kuki communities, “religious attack has been effectively carried out”, Dominic Lumon, the Archbishop of Imphal, wrote in a letter Saturday, Indian Express reported.

Recording at least 10 alleged instances of institutions under the Catholic Church being attacked since the violence broke out, he claimed that 249 churches belonging to Meitei Christians had been destroyed within 36 hours since the start of the violence.

“The wonder is in the midst of the fight between the Kukis and the Meiteis, why did the Meitei mob burn down and destroy 249 churches located in the Meitei heartland? How is it that there was almost a natural attack on the church in the Meitei localities itself and how did the mob know where the churches were located if not previously planned?” he claimed.

“Some pastors have been indicated not to rebuild the churches. There is systematic silencing of the minorities. Is this not another ‘Ghar Wapsi’?” he claimed.

He also questioned the role of the government and the armed forces in failing to maintain peace in the state. “The elected government of the State and the Centre have not been able to restore the Rule of Law in the State and put a stop to the mad violence even after one and a half months. It is fit to state that there is collapse of the Constitutional Machinery in the State. One wonders why the President’s Rule is still not an option,” he wrote.

Last week, the Samast Christi Samaj, an all-Christian organization, has requested that the Government of India use military action to restore peace in the state of Manipur, in addition to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s intervention.

The organisation in a press note mentioned, “Many have fled the state and are facing uncertain future as normalcy has not yet been restored in the state of Manipur in contrast to the assurances given by the Hon’ble Home Minister Amit Shah on 29th May, 2023, on his first visit to Manipur since the violence began on May 3, 2023 that the situation will return to normalcy within 15 days”.

SOURCE: INDEPENDENT PRESS AND NEWS AGENCIES

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