In the wake of the ongoing violence in Manipur, the Bar Council of India (BCI) has issued a statement urging political leaders and opposition party members to end the current deadlock in Parliament. The BCI emphasized that the Central government, particularly Home Minister Amit Shah, is best positioned to clarify the situation.
The BCI’s statement reads,
“It is due to this reason that we are making this appeal to all the Hon’ble responsible leaders of opposition of our country to allow the Parliament to transact its business smoothly and find out the perfect solution to this serious problem.”
BCI Chairman Manan Kumar Mishra also stressed that confrontation over this pressing issue would not yield a resolution. The statement highlighted the adverse effects of the situation on innocent people, particularly the Meiteis, who are mostly Hindus, and the neighboring states. The BCI asserted that boycotting is not a solution, as it only leads to the wastage of valuable time and proves to be a futile exercise. The matter, according to the BCI, necessitates an urgent discussion in Parliament with the active participation of all members.
The BCI urged both ruling and opposition leaders to set aside their political differences and unite to address the issue. The statement further read,
“Even for doing politics, the existence of a strong nation would be required, and all the political parties should keep this harsh truth in mind.”
The recent public outcry over the ongoing violence in Manipur was triggered by a horrific video of two women being paraded naked and molested, which went viral on social media. The Supreme Court of India took suo motu cognisance of the issue on July 20, warning that the Court will act if the government does not. On the same day, several opposition leaders boycotted the Rajya Sabha’s Business Advisory Committee proceedings, protesting the Prime Minister’s failure to make a statement on the Manipur issue.