NEW DELHI – India’s Parliament faced disruptions for the third consecutive day on Monday due to opposition protests concerning ethnic clashes in a remote northeastern state, which have resulted in more than 130 fatalities since May.
Opposition lawmakers took to the streets outside the Parliament building, brandishing placards and chanting slogans, demanding a statement from Prime Minister Narendra Modi regarding the violence in Manipur state before proceeding with any debates on the issue.
Last week, Modi finally broke his two-month silence on the ethnic clashes, condemning the mob assaults on two women who were publicly humiliated and assaulted. However, he did not directly address the broader violence.
The incident, captured on video, caused widespread outrage on social media, although internet access was heavily restricted in the state and journalists were denied entry. The distressing video depicted two naked women surrounded by a group of young men, subjected to sexual assault and dragged across a field.
The situation in Manipur has escalated to near-civil war, with mobs ransacking villages and setting homes ablaze. The conflict stems from an affirmative action dispute, with Christian Kukis protesting against the demand from mainly Hindu Meiteis for a special status allowing them to buy land in the hilly regions populated by Kukis and other tribal groups, and access government jobs.
Indian Home Minister Amit Shah assured the government’s readiness to discuss the Manipur situation and urged the opposition to allow the debate to proceed, emphasizing the importance of unveiling the truth about this sensitive matter to the country.
The protests in Parliament led to multiple adjournments of both houses, with the opposition demanding a comprehensive statement from Modi. The Congress party’s president, Mallikarjun Kharge, called it Modi’s “duty to make a comprehensive statement inside the Parliament on Manipur violence.”
The video and the escalating violence in Manipur have sparked demonstrations across India. In Indian-controlled Kashmir, scores of people gathered, and protesters with placards took to the streets in Kolkata.
Over the weekend, nearly 15,000 people participated in a sit-in protest in Manipur, demanding the immediate arrest of all those involved in the May assault. Additionally, they called for the dismissal of Biren Singh, the state’s top elected official and a member of Modi’s party.
Last week, the state government reported the arrest of four suspects and ongoing police raids to apprehend others linked to the incident.