Fear, uncertainty has gripped Manipur: Gaurav Gogoi

Assam Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi on Wednesday said Manipur was in the throes of a grave humanitarian crisis and demanded that Union home minister Amit Shah make a statement in Parliament on the issue.

Raising the matter during Zero Hour in the Lok Sabha, Gogoi slammed the ruling BJP for raising the George Soros issue in Parliament, contending that the ruling party was doing so to "hide its failures in Manipur".

"The entire state is in a humanitarian crisis and instead of finding a solution, the government is sending paramilitary forces and enforcing the AFSPA (Armed Forces Special Powers Act). This is not addressing the cycle of violence," the Congress leader said.

He said the people of Manipur only want to know when Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit the state and when will the home minister apprise the House of the steps required to resolve the situation in the state.

"This government, in order to hide its failure in Manipur, is using George Soros as a shield," Gogoi said, triggering a sharp reaction from the treasury benches.

The Congress leader said extortion has become rampant in Manipur, the economy has been shattered and basic public services were on the brink of collapse. "Unfortunately, there has been a rise in the illegal trade of arms, drugs, and timber. The impact on the lives of ordinary people has been devastating," he said.

Gogoi said schools and colleges were closed and the education of thousands of students was at risk. "Healthcare facilities have been damaged or destroyed. Fear and uncertainty have gripped the population," the Congress leader said.

Gogoi's reference to Soros prompted commerce minister Piyush Goyal to counter by claiming links between the Congress leadership and certain Soros-backed outfits allegedly working to destabilise India, leading to an uproar requiring an adjournment of the House.

Meanwhile, unidentified people on Wednesday kept placed a hand grenade in front of a private bank in Manipur's Imphal West district, police said. Passersby spotted the grenade on the stairs in front of the private bank at Singjamei and informed the police.

The police, in turn, called the bomb squad to defuse it, and then registered a case and initiated an investigation.

In another development, during search operations at Tingkai Khullen in Kangpokpi district, security forces claimed to have recovered several arms, including a carbine machine gun with magazine, one single-bolt sniper rifle, one 9 mm handgun with magazine, one hand grenade along with two tube launchers, ammunition and a radio set, a police statement on Wednesday said.