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The deceased have been identified as Nilakamal Boicha, who died on the spot, and Konsam Herojit Singh, who succumbed to his injuries in hospital.
Guwahati: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s trip to Manipur, the first by any opposition leader after home minister Amit Shah’s visit in May, was marred by bad weather and cops cancelling his planned road trip to violence-hit Churachandpur, citing security threats, before he took a chopper to two
Rahul Gandhi’s trip on Thursday was the first to Manipur by any opposition leader since violence erupted on May 3. He visited Greenwood relief camp in Tuibuong and another at a government college in Hiangtam to interact with displaced families staying there. He was to proceed to Moirang and stay the
Biren Singh was heading to Raj Bhavan to submit his resignation to governor Anusuiya Uikey when the crowd stood in the way of the convoy. He alighted and tried to convince those in front, many of them elderly women, but they would not budge.
The CM then made a U-turn to his residence, setting the stage for more action.
Biren Singh was heading to Raj Bhavan in Imphal on Friday to submit his resignation when his supporters tore the draft.
News of Biren’s plan to quit brought out sea of supporters
At one point, cabinet minister L Susindro Meitei stood facing the teeming lane leading to Biren Singh’s house with a megaphone in hand and read out the draft of the latter’s resignation. A few hands from among the womenfolk reached out to grab the letter and rip it apart in front of the cameras.
Biren Singh was spotted waving at the crowd moments later, seemingly having made the decision they wanted him to. He sealed it with a tweet at 4.01pm. “At this crucial juncture, I wish to clarify that I will not be resigning from the post of chief minister.”
The build-up to this had started late Thursday, when the “Emas (mothers)” of Imphal’s landmark all-women market gave an ultimatum to the state government to end the unrest raging in the state since May 3 and stop further killings. The demonstration was over three more casualties in a gunfight between security forces and “armed rioters” at a village on the border of Imphal West and Kangpokpi districts.
As the night wore on, security forces used tear gas to disperse a mob that had attempted to vandalise the local BJP office. Early Friday, another mob targeted BJP’s office at Khongjom in Thoubal district. Around 8am, the CM went into a huddle with his ministerial colleagues and apparently decided to resign.
“There was no instruction from the party’s national leadership to do so. It was the chief minister’s own decision,” a source said later.
News about Biren Singh intending to step down spread rapidly, bringing hordes of supporters to his gate. The size of the crowd swelled in no time, covering the entire 400-metre stretch from the CM’s residence to Raj Bhavan.
The CM’s appointment with governor Uikey was rescheduled twice – from 10am to 1pm and then to 3pm – as visiting Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, too, sought to meet her, sources said.
Rahul entered Raj Bhavan around 1.30pm and left about 20 minutes later. Biren Singh and 20 party MLAs set off for the governor’s residence soon after, only for the convoy to run into the crowd.
“We cannot allow him to resign. This (the solidarity show) isn’t just in the interest of Manipur but also in the interest of the entire nation. Biren Singh is waging a battle against narco-terrorism, and his government should stand firm and crack down on troublemakers,” a woman in the crowd told reporters.
Manipur state Congress president Meghachandra Singh dismissed it as “staged”. “After Rahul ji’s visit, there is more pressure on Biren Singh and out of fear, all this drama,” he said.
Amid a fresh spell of violence after a lull, the state government on Friday extended for the 12th time since May 3 suspension of internet services to curb the spread of rumours. The latest extension is till July 5. The state education department issued a notification in the evening, extending the closure of schools till July 8. The government had previously planned to resume normal classes on July 1.
03:26
Biren Singh doubles down, refutes rumours of his resignation
Watch Manipur MLAs tear CM Biren Singh’s resignation letter, Singh says he is committed to serving the state
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