Rahul Gandhi visits relief camp in violence-hit Manipur

-, Jul 08, 2024, India Blooms News Service

Imphal/IBNS: Congress MP Rahul Gandhi visited a relief camp set up at a school in Manipurs Jiribam in his first visit to the violence-hit state after becoming the Leader of Opposition.

Gandhi is also scheduled to visit relief camps in Churachandpur and Moirang during his state visit.

More than 200 people died and about 50,000 others displaced after the ethnic clash between the Meiteis and Kukis broke out in Manipur on May 3, 2023.

#WATCH | Congress MP Rahul Gandhi today visited a relief camp set up at Jiribham Higher Secondary School during his visit to Manipur pic.twitter.com/AtcAZb5ZvI

ANI (@ANI) July 8, 2024

The outbreak of violence in Manipur can be traced back to the Tribal Solidarity March initiated by the All Tribal Students Union of Manipur (ATSUM).

The march was organized as a form of protest against the demand to include the Meitei community in the Scheduled Tribe (ST) category, which was prompted by a directive from the Manipur High Court on April 19.

The march served as a catalyst for the subsequent escalation of violence in the region.

Approximately 53 percent of the population in Manipur comprises Meiteis, residing predominantly in the Imphal Valley, while the remaining 40 percent consists of tribal communities such as Kukis, residing primarily in the hill districts surrounding the Valley.