Police action on protesting students in Manipur unacceptable: Mamata Banerjee

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee asserted that the police action on students, who hit the streets of the Manipur capital to protest against the kidnap and killing of the two youths, was "unacceptable"

Kolkata: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday condemned the police action on protesting students in Manipur and hit out at the Centre and the N Biren Singh government, alleging that they failed to control the situation there arising out of the killing of two youths.

She also asserted that the police action on students, who hit the streets of the Manipur capital to protest against the kidnap and killing of the two youths, was “unacceptable”.

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She extended her condolences to the bereaved families of the two Manipuri youths.

“My heartfelt condolences to the grieving families of the two young souls in Manipur. The pain and sorrow reflected in the cries of their mothers have deeply affected me. It is disheartening to witness the state government’s refusal to accept responsibility and the central government’s failure to ensure accountability. The recent violence against peaceful student protesters in Imphal is unacceptable,” Banerjee posted on X, formerly Twitter.

Altogether 65 students, many of them girls, were injured in two days of protests in Manipur’s Imphal Valley as the police fired tear gas shells and baton-charged protesters, demonstrating against the killing of the two youths who were allegedly kidnapped in July.

“We stand with Manipur, demanding justice and unity. Let us rebuild and revive Manipur’s spirit under India’s benevolent embrace. Together, we can create a better future,” she said.

Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh on Wednesday said that Union Home Minister Amit Shah assured him that those who had kidnapped and killed the two Manipuri youths will be arrested and punished.

A team of CBI officials, led by the agency’s Special Director Ajay Bhatnagar, has reached the northeastern state and started the probe into the crime.

Manipur has been witnessing violence since early May.

More than 175 people have been killed and several hundreds injured since ethnic clashes broke out in the northeastern state on May 3, when a ‘Tribal Solidarity March’ was organised in the hill districts to protest against the majority Meitei community’s demand for Scheduled Tribe status.

Meiteis account for about 53 per cent of Manipur’s population and live mostly in the Imphal valley, while tribals, including Nagas and Kukis, constitute 40 per cent and reside mostly in the hill districts.