Manipur Police stopped Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Thursday (29 June), about 20 kilometres from Imphal, near Bishnupur, due to concerns of potential violence along the route.
After arriving in Imphal, Rahul Gandhi’s convoy was halted on its way to Churachandpur.
At Churachandpur, Gandhi has a meeting scheduled with the people displaced by the ethnic clashes in the state.
The Meitei and Kuki communities have been clashing, causing tension in Manipur.
Congress general secretary K C Venugopal expressed confusion over the police’s decision to prevent Gandhi’s car from proceeding.
Gandhi is, however, expected to take a chopper from Imphal to Churachandpur.
Prior to Gandhi’s visit to Manipur, the All Manipur Students Union issued a statement condemning the successive governments in the state, naming the Congress in particular.
“The present communal crisis in Manipur is a result of the political blunders that have been committed by the successive governments that have ruled Manipur over time, and Congress has a big role to play,” they said.