India police arrest 23 after violence erupts in northeast state of Manipur
Al JazeeraProtests erupted after six bodies, believed to have been kidnapped from the Meitei community were recovered on Friday. Police in the northeast Indian state of Manipur have arrested 23 people for ransacking and setting fires to the homes of lawmakers and ministers in the capital Imphal as protests erupted on Saturday following the discovery of six bodies. ‘Deeply disturbing’ Indian opposition leader Rahul Gandhi on Saturday urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to visit Manipur, which has been wracked by ethnic violence for more than a year and a half. Modi has not visited the state since violence erupted last year after Kukis protested against the inclusion of dominant Meitis as a Scheduled Tribe, which makes them eligible for government affirmative-action programmes. “I urge the PM once again to visit Manipur and work towards restoring peace and healing in the region.” The National People’s Party, an ally of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party, announced on Sunday its withdrawal of support from the state government after citing the failure of Manipur’s Chief Minister N Biren Singh to resolve the crisis in the area.