Politics / Manipur

Imphal, May 25: The question of welcoming MSCP back into the fold of Congress Party has reportedly created a rift between Chief Minister O Ibobi who is also the chief of MPCC and RS MP Rishang Keishing. According to sources in the Congress, the rift between Ibobi and his mentor Rishang started the day MSCP president Th Chaoba mooted the idea of merging his party with the Congress. Ibobi is also sore with Rishang after the latter showed his desire to hold the post of MPCC president. Some Congress legislatures have also defended the CM and opposed the idea of Rishang holding the reins of the...

NEW DELHI, May 25 ? The merger plans between Manipur State Congress Party (MSCP) with the Congress Party has been temporarily put on hold and as the Congress Party is closely watching the developments in Manipur. A senior Congress leader acknowledging that the merger of the MSCP with Congress Party was on the cards, said the proposal has been stalled owing to certain difficulties that have arisen. One of the hitch is former Union Minister of State, Chaoba Singh, who is under threat of the underground outfits. The militant outfits have served a deadline of May 21 on the MSCP to oust Chaoba...

Imphal, May 24: The secretary of the Council for Higher Secondary Education, Dr Kh Joychandra Singh, was shot and wounded by activists of the underground Kanglei Yawol Kanna Lup, KYKL, this afternoon as a punishment for allegedly bribing his way into his post. Dr Joychandra, who was appointed secretary of the council at the end of April was abandoned by the KYKL activists with bullet wounds in both legs at the Loijeng Chingkhong area under Lamlai police station. He has since been admitted to JN hospital. Joychandra had been kidnapped by activists of the underground group on May 16 last...

IMPHAL, May 22 ? Manipur State Congress Party (MSCP), constituent of the six-party ruling Secular Progressive Front (SPF), is likely to merge with major ruling front partner, Congress ?very soon? according to MSCP and Congress sources here Wednesday, reports PTI. State Congress unit president and Chief Minister Okram Ibobi Singh and MSCP president Th Chaoba Singh had already left for Delhi to discuss the issue with Congress high command and party national functionaries in charge of Manipur, the sources said. The Congress legislature party in an emergency meeting Tuesday had also decided to...

IMPHAL, May 21?Democratic People?s Party (DPP), a constituent of the six-party ruling secular progressive Front, today, demanded immediate withdrawal of the Armed Forces Special Powers Act, 1958 from Manipur reports PTI. DPP spokesperson R K Anand said in a statement that the time had come to review the removal of the act under which the state had been declared as ?disturbed area? and added that there could no military solution to Manipur problem. Anand claimed that the forces deployed under the act to deal with the insurgents had also ?started forgetting? that they had been deployed to aid...

Imphal, May 17: Fifty-two personnel of 7 MR today challenged the state government's order directing the shifting of the battalion to Taphou, under Senapati before the Gauhati High Court. The order to shift the battalion, at present located at Khabeishoi, was issued by the home department on May 9 last. The counsels for the petitioners pleaded before Justice H Kaminikumar Singh for quashing the government's order. One of the five contentions submitted by the petitioners was that the state government had on an earlier instance, issued an order for shifting the 1st MR to Taphou. The government...

Imphal, May 16: Justice H Kaminikumar Singh of the Gauhati High Court, Imphal bench in an interim order today stayed the state government order which constituted the Upendra Judicial Commission of Inquiry into the arrest and death of Thingujam Dhirendra Singh. The chief secretary of Manipur issued the order on April 9 last constituting the commission. The High Court passed the interim order following a petition filed by jointly by the secretary, ministry of defence, IG Assam Rifles (N), commander 9 sector AR and CO 7 AR. The petitioner challenged the order of the state government on the ground...

KOHIMA, May 14 ? The NSCN (I-M) on Tuesday criticised the statements of Manipur?s United Council of Manipuris (UCM) on the current Naga peace talks and termed such observations as ?propaganda?, reports PTI. The Information and Publicity wing of the underground outfit, which is in talks with the Centre for finding an amicable solution to the vexed Naga problem, while describing the UCM ?outbursts? as ?most unhealthy and unwarranted? at a time when a peaceful solution is sought for, urged the council not to mislead the Meities and create animosity with the Nagas inhabiting in Manipur. In a...

Imphal, May 14: Due to unchecked encroachment and alleged issue of land allotment orders to encroachers by the Settlement and Land Records Department, the original area of the Langol Reserved Forest has been reduced by 50 percent. said a source in the State Forest Department. A large portion of the 7.45 sq kms area of the reserved forest which serves as the "green lungs" of Imphal valley has been occupied by new settlers and the 'forest area' has shrunk to a mere 350 hectares. Besides large scale deforestation of the Langol Hills has been going on, he said. Contending that encroaching and...

Imphal, May 13: Personnel of the 7 MR today asserted that they are not unwilling to shift from the Khabeisoi location to Taphou but said there should be some justification behind their transfer. Charging that they were treated like unwanted elements by the State forces yesterday, the jawans said the matter could have been negotiated peacefully without the combined force swooping down at their Bn campus for their forced removal. They said that five women of the Family Line were hospitalized after they fainted at the actions of the combined force. The Bn campus was found surrounded by the...