RSS calls for dialogue to end Manipur clashes

NEW DELHI: There is “no place for violence and hatred” in a democratic setup, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh said on Sunday, as it asked the Union government and law enforcement agencies to take “every possible step” to immediately stop ethnic clashes in Manipur. In a statement, he said the Sangh believes that the solution to any problem is possible only “through mutual dialogue and expression of brotherhood in a peaceful atmosphere.” At least 106 people have been killed since May 3 in Manipur, where ethnic violence erupted between numerically dominant Meitei community — which forms 53% of the state population — and tribal communities, especially Kukis, who live primarily in the hill districts. Even as the Bharatiya Janata Party — which is in power both at the Centre and in the northeastern state — has maintained a studied silence on the crisis, its ideological fount the RSS said there is an urgent need to “overcome the deficit of trust” between communities, citing it as the cause of the present crisis. Referring to the deteriorating law-and-order situation and the threat to life, the RSS functionary said the local administration, police, military and the central agencies should take every possible step to ensure the seamless supply of relief materials among the displaced along with “necessary actions to maintain peace and harmony.” “The continuous violence that is going on in Manipur for the last 45 days is extremely worrisome.