Manipur must heal, we as a nation must help: Soren writes to Murmu

Silence in the face of cruelty is a terrible crime, Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren on Saturday wrote to President Droupadi Murmu as he accused the Narendra Modi government of keeping "complete silence" and indulging in a "desperate attempt" to restrict the truth of the Manipur violence from reaching people.

Jharkhand CM @HemantSorenJMM writes to President Droupadi Murmu; appeals to her to find a way forward ensure justice is served and take steps to ensure peace and harmony in #Manipur @DeccanHerald pic.twitter.com/phTkyTwVdJ

— Shemin (@shemin_joy) July 22, 2023

"We cannot and must not let our fellow tribal brothers and sisters be treated in an appallingly barbaric way. Manipur must heal and we as a nation must help," Soren wrote in his two-page letter as he urged the President to find a way forward and ensure justice, peace and harmony in the state.

Looking up to the President as the "last source of hope and inspiration who show light in these troubled times, the Chief Minister said he was compelled to write to her over the ongoing spate of violence in Manipur as "silence in the face of cruelty is a terrible crime".

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Soren emphasised that the north-eastern state has witnessed the loss of lives, destruction of property and public infrastructure, unspeakable torture and sexual exploitation of women, displacement and a grave sense of insecurity among several ethnic groups.

Referring to a video of two being paraded naked, he said the intrinsic principles of human life and dignity guaranteed by our Constitution seem to be completely broken.

"A society should never reach a point where people are subjected to the kind of physical, emotional and psychological brutality that we have seen unfold in Manipur," he said, adding it has been "shocking" to note that the Manipur government has "failed" in protecting its own people and tackling violence.

Also, he said referring to the appeal by some international sports persons to ensure peace, "we have seen complete silence and a desperate attempt by the union government to sideline the issue, muzzle the voice of the media and people restricting the truth from being disseminated to the rest of the country."

Soren said Manipur has been burning for more than two months now and media reports estimated that over 40,000 people have been displaced. He said there seems to be a "complete breakdown" of the rule of law and it is "deeply distressing" that ethnic violence continues unabated with the "tacit support of certain vested interests".