New Delhi: Looking at the ground situation, we stopped him (Rahul Gandhi) from proceeding further and advised him to go to Churachandpur by helicopter. There is a possibility of grenade attack on VIPs on their way to hilly areas. Keeping in mind their safety, we have stopped them from proceeding further. SP Heisnam Balram Singh has said this.
Police stopped Rahul’s convoy in Manipur’s Vishnupur
Rahul Gandhi’s convoy, which reached Imphal on Thursday on a two-day tour of Manipur, has been stopped by the police at Bishnupur. A police officer in Imphal said that their convoy was stopped “due to law and order issue”, but the official refused to give further details.
Soon after his arrival, the former Congress president left for Bishnupur and Churachandpur districts, one of the hill districts worst affected by the violence, but the police stopped his convoy in Bishnupur. A large number of women gathered in Bishnupur before Gandhi reached there and clashed with police over security forces allowing Gandhi to tour the areas. Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge condemned the action of the Manipur Police. In his tweet, he said, “The convoy of Mr. Rahul Gandhi in Manipur has been stopped by the police near Bishnupur. He is going there to meet the people suffering in relief camps and get treatment in the conflict-torn state. PM Modi did not bother to break his silence on Manipur, the Congress president said. He has left the state to its own devices. Now, their double engine destructive governments are using autocratic methods to stop Rahul Gandhi. This is completely unacceptable and shatters all constitutional and democratic norms. Manipur needs peace, not conflict.”
#WATCH | Manipur: Bishnupur SP Heisnam Balram Singh, says, "Seeing the ground situation, we stopped him (Rahul Gandhi) from moving forward and advised him to travel to Churachandpur via helicopter. There is a possibility of a grenade attack along the highway through which VIP… pic.twitter.com/B4rBdWuTjI
— ANI (@ANI) June 29, 2023
Congress general secretary K.C. Venugopal and Jairam Ramesh and state party leaders criticized the BJP government’s action against the Congress leader. “It is extremely unfortunate that the Modi government is preventing Rahul Gandhi from visiting relief camps outside Imphal and interacting with people. His two-day visit to Manipur is in the spirit of Bharat Jodo Yatra,” Ramesh tweeted. One can choose to remain silent or passive, but why stop Rahul Gandhi’s efforts to listen to all sections of Manipuri society and heal their wounds?”
Venugopal said, “Rahul Gandhi’s convoy has been stopped by the police near Bishnupur. Police say they are not in a position to allow us. People are standing on both sides of the road to greet Rahul Gandhi. We understand Can’t find why they are being stopped?”
Venugopal told the media, “I don’t know why the police is not allowing us. Rahul Gandhi’s visit is only to meet the affected people. We traveled around 20-25 km, but there was no road blockade anywhere.” Rahul Gandhi is sitting inside the car, “Know who has instructed the local police.”
Accompanied by AICC in-charge of several northeastern states Ajoy Kumar, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Thursday arrived in Imphal on a two-day visit to Manipur, where caste violence has claimed 120 lives since May 3. Over 50,000 men, women and children are now living in over 350 relief camps across the state since the violence broke out. The senior Congress leader is scheduled to interact with civil society organisations, tribal and non-tribal leaders as well as prominent citizens in the two districts – Bishnupur and Churachandpur. The Congress has been demanding imposition of President’s rule in Manipur to control the law and order situation, as the party claims that the BJP government in the state has completely failed to deal with the violence.
Earlier, some Congress delegations visited the state and later met President Draupadi Murmu in Delhi to garner support for their demands. Congress leaders also tried to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi but he did not give an appointment. Ibobi Singh, who was the Chief Minister of Manipur thrice from the Congress, said that there was no report of violence from the state till 2017 during the Congress rule. Now insurgents started flouting rules under BJP rule in Manipur, and they are being used for electoral gains.
