New Delhi: The Parliamentary panel on Home Affairs has turned down the request of two Opposition MPs to hold an “urgent meeting” to discuss the Manipur unrest, citing three pre-scheduled meetings in July on the state of infrastructure and reforms in prisons, The Print has learnt.
In two separate letters to BJP Rajya Sabha MP Brij Lal, chairman of the 31-member Parliamentary Standing Committee on Home Affairs, Congress’s Digvijaya Singh and Derek O’Brien of the Trinamool Congress (TMC) had sought a meeting to discuss the situation unfolding in Manipur. O’Brien wrote his letter on 15 June, followed by Singh on 21 June.
In his written response to O’Brien, it is learnt, Lal said that while “unrest anywhere in the country is a matter of concern”, due to the next series of meetings of the committee, “it is difficult to hold discussions on the issue raised by you”. To Singh, Lal wrote, “I have noted down the concerns expressed by you”, while expressing “regret” over his inability to discuss Manipur as meetings on prison reforms have already been convened.
Ethnic clashes between the Meiteis and Kukis have jolted Manipur over the last two months, leading to the deaths of more than 100, while thousands have been rendered homeless, forced to take shelter in relief camps set up across the state.
The violence began following a judicial order of the Manipur High Court suggesting that the state grant Scheduled Tribe status to the Meiteis.
The order enraged the Kukis who feel that the Meiteis, who make up about 53 percent of Manipur’s population, have cornered social and political power. The Meiteis, on the other hand, accuse the Kukis of encouraging illegal infiltration from Myanmar and indulging in narcotics trade.
Meanwhile, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi ended his two-day visit to the state Friday with an appeal for peace, saying “violence was no solution”. During the day, he met Governor Anusuiya Uikey and described the state’s destructive unrest as “painful” for both Manipur and the country.
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‘Atmosphere of fear in Manipur’
O’Brien, who is the TMC’s Rajya Sabha floor leader, had in his letter to Lal said a meeting of the committee was necessary to assess the “prevailing situation of violence in Manipur and to stand by those affected by it”. “As representatives of our democratic system, it is crucial we do this,” he added.
Stating that recent incidents of violence in Manipur raise concerns about the safety and well-being of the people residing in the region, O’Brien wrote that shoot-at-sight orders have further added to the “atmosphere of fear” in the state.
“It is imperative that we understand the ground reality, and assess the extent of the violence. In this regard, holding a standing committee meeting to discuss the ongoing violence in Manipur would provide first-hand insights into the situation,” wrote O’Brien.
In his response, Lal referred to the fact that officials of the state government and the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) have already been requested to attend the meetings on prison reforms. According to a notice of the Rajya Sabha Secretariat, the meetings on prison reforms are scheduled for 6 July, 19 July and 27 July respectively.
On 6 July, the views of Tamil Nadu, Telangana and Andhra Pradesh will be heard, followed by Assam, Odisha and West Bengal on 19 July. Finally, on 27 July, the panel will hear the views of Bihar, Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan.
Prison reforms was also the agenda of the panel’s last meeting, held on 17 May, during which the views of MHA, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh and Delhi were heard.
(Edited by Amrtansh Arora)
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