Rush Hour: Modi to visit Manipur tomorrow, Kashmir chief cleric alleges house arrest and more

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Manipur on Saturday. This will be his first trip to the state since ethnic clashes broke out between the Kuki and Meitei communities more than two years ago. The Opposition parties have repeatedly criticised Modi for not having visited the state so far.

Manipur Chief Secretary Puneet Kumar Goel said that the prime minister will meet residents displaced by the conflict in Churachandpur and Imphal. More than 59,000 people have been displaced and at least 260 killed since the clashes began in May 2023.

Ahead of Modi’s visit, security has been heightened in Imphal and Churachandpur. This came as clashes broke out in Churachandpur on Thursday after a group allegedly attempted to tear down decorative structures set up for the prime minister’s arrival. Read more.

Kashmir’s chief cleric and Hurriyat Conference leader Mirwaiz Umar Farooq alleged that he was placed under house arrest. He claimed that he was stopped from leading the Friday prayers at Srinagar’s Jamia Masjid, a week after the Ashoka emblem on an inauguration plaque inside the Hazratbal shrine was damaged, allegedly by protesters who claimed...

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