Guwahati, Nov 13: A delegation of five Congress MLAs from Manipur met with Assam and Manipur Governor Lakshman Prasad Acharya on Wednesday at the Raj Bhawan in Guwahati, appealing for his intervention to ensure the safe release of three women and three children who were reportedly abducted by armed miscreants in Jiribam district, Manipur, on Tuesday.
In a memorandum to the Governor, the MLAs highlighted the urgent need to address the ongoing unrest, which has intensified in recent days due to a renewed surge of violence in Jiribam. They expressed deep concern over the humanitarian crisis unfolding in the state, noting that the recent violence has led to loss of life and severe insecurity for local communities.
The memorandum also detailed that the abducted individuals, including a woman with a few-month-old baby, have been missing for over 48 hours, with their families anxiously awaiting news of their safety. The delegation urged Governor Acharya to take swift and effective action to locate and safely release the abducted villagers, underscoring the need for government intervention to restore peace and stability in the region.
“Many lives have already lost in the ongoing turmoil in Manipur. We strongly demand for the immediate safe release of these women, including three children, and urge your immediate intervention to help in releasing them from the hands of armed miscreants,” they said.
“We also demand, through your esteemed office, to ensure that the innocent civilians, the elderly people, women, children, mothers and babies, are protected by the state, including central security agencies and state forces,” they also said.
We request that your constitutional position be of immense help in bringing normalcy and peace in the state, which has been inflicted by the ongoing turmoil for the last 18 months. We appeal to both the Union government and state government to bring an immediate halt and complete stoppage to cross-firing, bomb-shelling, rocket and RPGs attack, destruction of houses, burning of villages, and any form of violence in the entire state,” the memorandum also said.
“We, considering the ongoing turmoil for the last 18 months in the state, are made to genuinely believe that the Prime Minister’s Office and the Union Home Ministry are not serious in putting an end to the ongoing turmoil in Manipur,” the memorandum further said.
The Congress MLAs expressed their deep dissatisfaction with the state government, led by Chief Minister N. Biren Singh, stating that it has “undoubtedly expressed its own inability to protect the lives and properties of citizens” since May 2023. They criticized the Chief Minister and his Council of Ministers for failing to uphold their constitutional responsibilities and for not protecting the lives and rights of the people, as guaranteed under the Constitution.
“At this crucial juncture, we reiterate our appeal for Your Excellency’s sincere and immediate intervention to ensure the safe release of the three women and three children, and to bring an end to the ongoing turmoil in the state, in the larger interest of the people of Manipur and the nation,” the MLAs added in their memorandum to Governor Acharya.
The memorandum was signed by former chief minister Okram Ibobi Singh, K. Meghachandra Singh, Ranjit Singh, Surjakumar Okram and Th Lokeshwar Singh.
