Violence in India’s Manipur persists as two injured in armed groups crossfire

ISLAMABAD: Violence in India’s Manipur persisted as two people, including an eight-year-old, were injured after armed groups opened fire in the Kangpokpi district. 

According to the Times of India, the incident took place in Thingkhogjang village on Sunday, injuring 56-year-old Nengneichong Kipgen and her 8-year-old daughter Lamneingah Kipgen, who were brought to the Regional Institute of Medical Services in Imphal for further treatment. 

More than 260 people have died and over 60,000 have been displaced in Manipur since violence erupted in May 2023. 

According to Amnesty International, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led central government and the Manipur state government have “failed to end the violence, prevent displacement, and protect human rights in the state.” 

“Homes, businesses, villages, and places of worship have been burned, attacked, looted, and vandalized,” the human rights organization said last month. 

Former federal home secretary GK Pillai told Al Jazeera that Manipur reflected a “breakdown of political direction and coordination among the state institutions.”

“Basically, the government has not decided what to do. It is a mess they have created, and they don’t know how to resolve it,” he said. 

After 20 houses were burned in three different villages in the district earlier this month, Indian opposition leader Rahul Gandhi said that violence in Manipur was a result of the Modi government's divisive ideology, which divided people in the name of “religion, caste, language, region, and identity.” 

“Today, not just Manipur but the entire country has given up hope of even two words of empathy from the Prime Minister, let alone any action,” he said in a post on X.