"Modi Ji, Please Visit Manipur Once And Restore Peace In State" - MMA Fighter Requests PM After Win At MFN 14

Manipur's MMA athlete Chungreng Koren requested Prime Minister Narendra Modi to visit his state and restore peace after his interim bantamweight title win at Matrix Fight Night 14 this past Saturday (March 9) in Greater Noida.

After the victory over fellow Indian Mohammed Farhad in the co-main event of MFN 14, Koren got emotional in his post-fight interview as he revealed the current worrying situation in Manipur, where many people have lost their lives since the violence started last year in May.

Chungren Koren requests PM Modi to visir Manipur once and save state

"This is my humble request to PM Modi ji. There is violence in Manipur and it has been almost a year. People are dying every day. So many are also in relief camps without proper food or water. Children are unable to study. We are worried about the future. Modi ji, please visit Manipur once and restore peace in the state," Koren said after the title bout.

Interim champion Chungreng Koren has a request for @PMOIndia and reminds him about the ongoing violence in Manipur.
“This Is My Humble request. Violence is happening in manipur.
It has been almost one year. people are dying and many people are in the relief camps. There is food… pic.twitter.com/UVWjmjixX7
— Mohammed Zubair (@zoo_bear) March 11, 2024

During the time of election, the opposition and Congress have also used the chance to hit out at the Prime Minister's party BJP after the MMA fighter made the request during MFN 14.

Congress MP from Assam, Gaurav Gogoi, posted Koren's video on X and stated: "This is not the voice of one man but that of the entire Northeast. Power, money and drugs have turned the BJP blind to the plight of the people in Manipur."

Earlier, several Olympic stars including weightlifter Mirabai Chanu and boxer MC Mary Kom had appealed to the Central Government for help to the violence-hit state.

At least 219 people have been killed in the ethnic violence in the state since May last year. The violence erupted on May 3 after a 'Tribal Solidarity March' was organised in the hill districts to protest against the Meitei community's demand for Scheduled Tribe (ST) status.

While a section of Kukis had demanded a separate administration or separation from the Manipur government, the Meitei groups are against it and warned legislators against any such design and asked them to foil such attempts.

Meiteis account for about 53 per cent of Manipur's population and live mostly in the Imphal Valley, while tribals, which include Nagas and Kukis, constitute 40 per cent and reside mainly in the hill districts. The rest belong to other communities.