Highways Closed, Drugs Ignored, Women Attacked — Yet Manipur Finds Time to Lecture Mamata

On International Women's Day, a young woman from Manipur was allegedly assaulted in broad daylight in Delhi's Saket area. She and her friend were simply taking an evening walk in a park near the Saket District Court complex when a group of men hurled inappropriate, racially charged comments at them. 

When the Manipuri woman objected, the confrontation turned violent. The accused reportedly punched her, struck her with belts, and unleashed a barrage of abusive slurs. She suffered minor injuries and was rushed to Safdarjung Hospital for treatment. 

Delhi Police have registered a case, reached out to the victim, and promised strict action, but the incident is far from isolated. It echoes a pattern of racial harassment and violence against people from the Northeast in the national capital, days earlier, similar abuses targeted Arunachal Pradesh students in the same vicinity. 

For Manipuris, already scarred by three years of ethnic conflict at home, this attack compounds vulnerability. Gender-based violence is intertwined with regional prejudice.

However, as this Manipuri daughter endured bruises and humiliation on a day dedicated to women's empowerment, Manipur's ruling BJP leaders remained largely silent. No fiery statements from the state unit, no urgent calls from Mahila Morcha, no social media storms demanding justice or highlighting the intersectional threats faced by Northeastern women. 

Instead, their energy poured into amplifying a manufactured controversy hundreds of kilometers away in West Bengal. The alleged "protocol breach" during President Droupadi Murmu's visit to Siliguri for the 9th International Santal Conference on March 7.

When President Murmu expressed displeasure over a last-minute venue change (from Bidhannagar to Gossainpur) and the absence of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee or any state minister at her reception. She publicly questioned the administration's decisions, noting the original site could have accommodated far more people, and even referred to Banerjee as her "younger sister," wondering if she was "upset." 

Prime Minister Narendra Modi seized the moment, accusing the TMC government of insulting a woman tribal leader and the President. Union ministers like Amit Shah and S Jaishankar joined in, turning it into a national political row. The Centre demanded a report from West Bengal on supposed violations of protocol, venue, and route arrangements. 

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Even Manipur Chief Minister Khemchand Singh and other BJP leaders eagerly echoed the outrage, portraying it as disrespect to the highest constitutional office.This fervour stands in stark, hypocritical contrast to their muted response, or complete absence of one, to the Saket assault. 

There are protocol guidelines for private visits (like this conference, organized by the International Santal Council, not the state) which clearly mentioned about reception to be handled by the Chief Secretary and police commissioner at the state capital, or district officials elsewhere. No mandatory presence of the Chief Minister, Governor, or ministers; no formal ceremonials. 

Mamata Banerjee's office too clarified that the President's Secretariat-approved lineup included the Siliguri Mayor, Darjeeling DM, and Police Commissioner for reception and send-off. The venue shift was flagged by district administration due to inadequate preparations at the original barren field—concerns conveyed in writing and shared with the President's team. Responsibility for any mismanagement lay with private organizers and the Airports Authority of India, not the state government.

Last year, in Uttar Pradesh, neither the Governor nor CM Yogi Adityanath personally received President Murmu in Mathura; a minister was delegated. Chief ministers have skipped such receptions before without sparking national storms. 

The "insult" narrative here appears politically timed, especially with West Bengal assembly elections approaching and the BJP seeking to paint TMC as anti-tribal or disrespectful to constitutional figures.

Meanwhile, back in Manipur, real crises fester without comparable attention from the state's BJP leadership. National Highways remain restricted or blocked intermittently, severely limiting free movement, particularly for the Meitei community, despite the installation of a new government with two Deputy Chief Ministers ostensibly from the Assembly segments lying along the blocked Highways. 

The ethnic violence that erupted in 2023 continues to simmer, with recent flare-ups including tensions between Tangkhul and Kuki communities in areas like Litan. Around 40,000 people still remain internally displaced, living in relief camps or makeshift arrangements, most of the IDPs daily allowance are still fixed ar Rs 84, their return stalled by insecurity and mistrust.

Drug trafficking, often cited as a root cause of the unrest, shows no signs of abating. Just weeks ago, authorities seized significant quantities of heroin (6.8kg) at Imphal International Airport, yet public condemnation or transparent action from top leaders has been conspicuously absent. 

More shocking is the recent exposition of poppy plantation in Itham Moirangpurel in Imphal East. On March 8, 2026, members of Arambai Tengol's Unit 52 (Itham) reportedly destroyed illegal poppy plants in the hills at Itham Moirangpurel, highlighting how such cultivation persists even in areas closer to the valley. 

This incident exposes the abnormal spread of the poppy, with security forces and local groups repeatedly eradicating acres across districts like Kangpokpi, Senapati, Ukhrul, and others, yet the scale remains alarming, with thousands of acres targeted in ongoing drives.

Not a single voice has been heard from any political parties or leaders about this abnormal increase in poppy-related activities, even as satellite data and police reports show fluctuations but persistent cultivation in hill districts. 

Equally deafening is the silence on the census data anomalies and protests against the proposed Census exercise in the state. Various civil society organizations and groups have raised alarms, demanding NRC updates before any census, fearing it could entrench demographic shifts or overlook illegal immigration amid displacement.

Slogans like "No NRC, No Census" and warnings of mass agitation have echoed in protests, yet national political leaders, including the BJP, offer no robust response or condemnation, allowing these issues to fester without accountability.

On International Women's Day itself, newly selected Chief Minister Y Khemchand Singh announced a Rs 350 crore budget to provide Rs 10,000 each to 3.5 lakh women affected by the unrest, a welcome symbolic gesture. 

But this symbolism rings hollow when leaders fail to condemn violence against one of their own daughters in Delhi, or address the gendered impacts of the state's prolonged crisis: women bearing the brunt of displacement, loss, and insecurity.

This selective outrage exposes a deeper malaise in Manipur's political class. Prioritizing attacks on Mamata Banerjee, conveniently distant and partisan, serves as a distraction from domestic failures. It allows spoon-fed narratives from the central BJP ecosystem to dominate discourse, while local accountability evaporates. 

Highways stay closed, drugs flow unchecked, ethnic rifts widen, and women face compounded threats, yet the loudest voices reserve their indignation for a protocol non-issue in West Bengal.

True leadership would reverse these priorities by demanding immediate, unbiased reopening of highways for safe passage. Launch transparent crackdowns on drug syndicates without ethnic favoritism. Foster genuine dialogue to heal divisions between communities. And vocally condemn every act of violence against Manipuri women, whether in Imphal or Delhi parks,demanding not just police probes but systemic change to combat racism and misogyny.

Until state BJP leaders shift from lecturing outsiders to confronting home truths, their hypocrisy will persist. The Saket assault may have caused minor physical injuries, but the silence inflicts a deeper wound on collective dignity.

Manipur deserves better. Leaders who amplify its people's pain, not drown it out with distant noise.