Prez Rule imposed in violence-hit Manipur

A Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) jawan posted in Manipur allegedly opened fire on his colleagues killing two of them and injuring eight others before dying by suicide on Thursday, police said.

- Utpal Parashar

NEW DELHI: The Union government on Thursday announced that it was imposing President's Rule in Manipur, potentially averting a Constitutional crisis after failing to find someone to replace former chief minister N Biren Singh who resigned on February 9, and missing a deadline to convene the state's legislative assembly.

The Manipur assembly, which has a tenure till 2027, was put under suspended animation, which means that the House has not been dissolved, and its members will continue to be MLAs. Such a situation allows parties to try and form a government at a later stage. "It (the assembly) is in suspended animation. The assembly has not been dissolved," said the Bharatiya Janata Party's northeast-in-charge, Sambit Patra.

Under Article 356 of the Constitution, the proclamation of President's Rule must be approved by both Houses of Parliament within two months. Additionally, the proclamation can be extended for six months from the date of its issue. Manipur is the only state or Union territory with an assembly that is currently under President's Rule.

The imposition of President's Rule opens a new chapter for the strife-torn state that has been roiled by ethnic clashes for almost two years, killing at least 250 people and displaced another 50,000.

The clashes began between the Meitei and the Kuki communities but have since engulfed the entire state. The Opposition and the Kuki community hold Biren Singh responsible for the escalation of violence.

The development - which came after four days of relentless meetings between BJP leaders and Patra, and at least three meetings between the party members and governor Ajay Bhalla - also indicated that a politically acceptable solution to the ethnic divisions remains challenging in the face of sectarian animosity.