A fact-finding team from the National Federation of Indian Women (NFIW) to the ongoing crisis in Manipur today said that the May 3 violence in Churachandpur was a “state-sponsored violence or riot”.
Chief Minister N Biren Singh should take moral and political responsibility for all that is happening and should have resigned from the post of CM, the NFIW general secretary told reporters.
Speaking to reporters at Manipur Press Club in Imphal, Annie Raja, general secretary of the NFIW, said that the fact-finding had taken three and a half days, with visits to both Meitei-dominated areas and Kuki-dominated areas.
“After meeting the affected parties of both communities, we came to the conclusion that the May 3 violence or riot is a state-sponsored violence or riot,” Raja told reporters.
In support of this claim, the NFIW said that, prior to the violence, the Manipur government demolished many houses and three churches in March, claiming them to be illegal occupations. “In a democracy, the government should either pay compensation or make alternative arrangements if they have to be evicted from their houses,” Raja said.
The fact-finding team from the NFIW comprises of 3 members. The other members are Deeksha Duivedi, an independent advocate, and Nisha Siddhu, national secretary of the NFIW.
“The Chief Minister being elected as the people’s representative has a responsibility to protect the people’s life and livelihood but he failed to deliver his duty,” Raja said, adding that after the May 3 incident, the CM did not make an announcement for a thorough inquiry or immediate intervention to control the situation.
