NEW DELHI: India’s Parliament was disrupted for a third day on Monday by opposition members protests over ethnic clashes in a remote northeastern state of Manipur in which over 130 people have been killed since May.
Opposition legislators carried placards and chanted slogans in front of Parliament building as they called for a statement from Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the violence in the state before a debate on the matter, according to media reports.
Last week, PM Modi broke more than two months of silence over the ethnic conflict, telling journalists that mob assaults on two females who were paraded naked were unforgivable, but stopped short of refering directly to the larger violence.
His statement came after a footage showing the assaults sparked massive outrage on social media platforms despite the internet being blocked to a large extent and reporters being locked out in the area. It shows two naked women surrounded by many young men who were groping their genitals and drag them to a field.
Violence in Manipur
The violence was sparked by an affirmative action controversy in which Christian Kukis protested a demand by mainly Hindu Meiteis for a special status that would allow them buy land in the hills mainly populated by Kukis and other tribal people and get a share of government employment opportunities.
Amit Shah, Indian Home Minister, said on Monday that the government was ready to discuss the situation in the state. He requested the opposition for dialogue and said that it was important that India gets to know the truth on the sensitive issue.
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The Parliament’s both houses were adjourned many times as the opposition stopped proceedings with their call for a statement from Narendra Modi. Sessions were also disrupted on Thursday and Friday.
Mallikarjun Kharge, the main opposition Congress party’s president, took to twitter, aying that it was Narendra Modi’s duty to give a comprehensive statement inside the Parliament on Manipur issue.
