AAP announces nationwide protests on Manipur issue on Tuesday

New Delhi: The Aam Aadmi Party will Tuesday stage protests across the country against the precarious situation in Manipur, party officials said.

In Delhi, the protest will be attended by top leaders of the party at Jantar Mantar, they said.

Leaders of several opposition parties on Monday demonstrated in the Parliament complex demanding that Prime Minister Narendra Modi make a statement in the House on the Manipur issue.

More than 160 people have lost their lives and several have been injured since ethnic violence broke out in Manipur on May 3, when a “Tribal Solidarity March” was organised in the hill districts to protest against the Meitei community’s demand for Scheduled Tribe (ST) status.

Tension further mounted last week after a video purportedly shot on May 4 surfaced online, showing two women from one of the warring communities being paraded naked by a group of men from the other side.

Meiteis account for about 53 percent of Manipur’s population and live mostly in the Imphal valley, while tribals, including Nagas and Kukis, constitute 40 percent and reside mostly in the hill districts.