'Children dying in violence': US offers help in Manipur
What's the story
United States Ambassador to India Eric Garcetti on Thursday said the US is ready to assist India in restoring peace in strife-torn Manipur, calling the situation a matter of human concern and not strategic. Speaking to reporters in Kolkata, Garcetti said, "You don't have to be Indian to care when we see children and individuals die in the sort of violence that we see."
Context
Why does this story matter?
Widespread violence has been raging in Manipur for over two months after clashes broke out between the state's tribal communities and the Meiteis, the state's majority, over the latter demanding Scheduled Tribe (ST) status. More than 100 people have been killed in the state, and thousands have been displaced as armed rioters attack villages while clashing with security forces.
Statement
Can bring more investment if peace is in place: Garcetti
Garcetti said, "We know that peace is the precedent for so many other good things... in the northeast and those can't continue without peace." He added, "We stand ready to assist in any way if asked. We know it's an Indian matter and we pray for that peace... Because we can bring more collaboration, more projects, more investment if that peace is in place."
Congress
'Very rare' statement from US envoy: Congress's Manish Tewari
Garcetti further said the east and Northeast India, its people, places, potential, and future matter to the US. In response to Garcetti's remarks, Congress leader Manish Tewari said it is "very rare" for a US envoy to make "a statement...about the internal affairs of India." Calling the history of US-India relations "convoluted and torturous," he stressed India's sensitivity to interference in its internal matters.
Twitter Post
US ambassadors were circumspect on J&K in 1990s: Tewari
To the best of my recollection going back atleast 4 decades in Public life I have never heard an US Ambassador making a statement of this nature about the internal affairs of India.
— Manish Tewari (@ManishTewari) July 7, 2023
We faced Challenges in Punjab, J&K , North East over the decades and surmounted those with… pic.twitter.com/fW58ZiShCA
Violence
Two volunteers shot dead in Churachandpur
Meanwhile, on Friday at around 4:30am, fresh firing erupted in Churachandpur district, killing two village volunteers, India Today NE reported. An exchange of fire continued until hours later, the report said. On Thursday, unidentified miscreants shot dead a mentally ill 62-year-old woman in Imphal West district. The woman belonged to the Kuki-Zo community and lived in a hut, The Hindu reported.