Manipur violence: 'My state is burning, kindly help' - Mary Kom appeals
The Indian state of Manipur has been hit by violence as forces try to control the situation. Meanwhile, legendary Indian boxer MC Mary Kom has appealed to the Indian government to help her state.
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FollowOn Thursday, boxing great MC Mary Kom urged the Centre to help control the violence in Manipur. The Army and Assam Rifles were deployed to handle the situation in the northeastern state where violence broke out during a tribal agitation on Wednesday. "My state Manipur is burning, kindly help," the veteran boxer tweeted in the early hours, sharing photos of the violence and tagging Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh.
The Army and Assam Rifles were deployed at night, and along with the state police, the forces were able to arrest the violence by the morning, a defence spokesperson said. So far, he said, 4,000 people have been rescued by the troops from the violence-hit areas and given shelter, adding that more people are being shifted to safer places.
"Flag marches are being conducted to keep the situation under control," he said. The violence broke out on Wednesday during the 'Tribal Solidarity March' called by the All Tribal Student Union Manipur (ATSUM) in the Torbung area of Churachandpur district to protest the demand of non-tribal Meiteis, who dominate the Imphal Valley, for Scheduled Tribe (ST) status. Thousands of agitators participated in the rally, during which clashes broke out between tribals and non-tribals, and it has further spread to other districts, a senior police officer said.
