Congress MP Bimol Akoijam has come out swinging against the Indian Army, declaring he is "hugely disappointed" by what he described as criminal inaction as armed groups torched homes in a Manipur village during the latest eruption of ethnic violence in the conflict-ridden northeastern state.
Akoijam, whose Inner Manipur constituency sits at the heart of the crisis, questioned how the military-deployed in full force across the state-could stand by as houses burned and families fled, saying the failure to intervene was not just negligence but a betrayal of the people the armed forces are sworn to protect.
The BJP government in New Delhi faces mounting pressure over what critics call a deliberate political silence on Manipur, where the systematic burning of both Kuki-Zo and Meitei homes has continued with near-total impunity for over three years-making it one of the longest-running and most underreported ethnic conflicts on Indian soil.
With over 250 dead, nearly 60,000 displaced and no political roadmap in sight, opposition leaders are demanding Prime Minister Modi visit the state, meet both communities and finally treat Manipur as the national emergency it has long become-not a distant inconvenience to be managed from Delhi.
