Manipur CM Khemchand Singh
Imphal: The scattered incidents are not coming to an end in trouble-hit Manipur. On the evening of September 3, a hand grenade was hurled at the gate of Congress MLA Keisham Meghachandra Singh’s house at Bishnunaha in Yairipok, Thoubal district.
The explosion took place around 8.15 pm, after an unidentified person threw the explosive device toward the legislator’s residence. As per police report no one was hurt in the bomb attack but created panic amongst the locals. Manipur police are investigating the incident but are yet to ascertain who is actually behind the attack on the legislator’s house.
Amid the decline of large-scale violence incidents and tight security, 36,000 of the state’s 60,000 internally displaced persons (IDPs) have been resettled to date. Chief Minister Y Khemchand Singh told the Manipur Legislative Assembly on September 3. The Chief Minister was responding to a short-duration discussion raised by Congress MLA Thokchom Lokeshwar Singh. CM Khemchand further informed the House that around 24,000 people are still living in relief camps across the state. Government is scrutinising the vulnerability of sending the remaining IPDs back to their own places. “The displaced families from both the hill and valley regions share a common wish — to go back to their homes”, CM Khemchand said in the assembly.
CM Khemchand Singh further said that his personal visits to relief camps and conflict-hit areas had given him a first-hand experience of what affected communities wanted, and that the overwhelming sentiment among them was a desire for peace and a return to normal life.
He further said that representatives from six to seven joint associations of displaced persons had been invited for talks with the government to sort out effective and speedy measures to resend the remaining IPDs back to their homes.” Even though 36,000 people have already moved back, the government continues to extend financial support to nearly 59,000 of the 60,000 IDPs as they are facing difficulties due to lack of livelihood”, the CM said. He further informed the assembly that the state’s Health Department is organising a massive amount of counselling programs to mitigate the psychological trauma the displacement has taken on affected families during the conflict period.
