Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Thursday evening arrived in the Churachandpur district of violence-hit Manipur by helicopter, hours after his convoy was stopped by the state police, according to NDTV.
Earlier in the day, the Opposition leader arrived in Imphal for a two-day visit to Manipur, which has been wreaked by ethnic clashes between Meiteis and Kukis since May 3.
Gandhi said on Twitter that the state “needs healing” and that peace needed to be the only priority. He tweeted a video showing security forces cracking down on protestors.
“I came to listen to all my brothers and sisters of Manipur,” he said. “People of all communities are being very welcoming and loving. It’s very unfortunate that the government is stopping me.”
Gandhi’s convoy had been stopped by the Manipur Police near Bishnupur district while he was on his way to Churachandpur district from Imphal on Thursday, according to PTI.
A police officer had told PTI that the “precautionary measure” was taken in fear of violence. The police had also claimed that tyres were burnt on the highway and a stones thrown at the convoy, according to the news agency.
The violence has left over 100 persons dead, more than 300 injured and 50,000 are displaced. The unrest in state broke out after thousands of people participated in a protest march to oppose the demand of the majority Meiteis to be included in the Scheduled Tribes category.
Gandhi will visit relief camps sheltering and meet leaders of civil society groups.
On Thursday, Gandhi’s convoy was stopped while he was going to visit relief camps, Congress General Secretary KC Venugopal told ANI.
“The police say that they are not in a position to allow us,” Venugopal said. “People are standing on both sides of the road to wave to Rahul Gandhi. We are not able to understand why have they stopped us.”
Gandhi’s visit to the state comes after Opposition has criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi for not coming to the state even as violence has marred Manipur for over a month.
The Bharatiya Janata Party government in Manipur led by Chief Minister Biren Singh has also come under fire from Opposition for failing to address the issues of the ethnic groups. At an all party meeting convened by Home Minister Amit Shah on June 22, Opposition leaders had demanded Singh’s resignation.
On Sunday, after meeting with Shah, Singh had said that the situation in the state is “very chaotic” and he is not sure of what is happening currently.
Also read: Why Biren Singh stays as Manipur chief minister despite even BJP leaders asking for his ouster?
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