NEW DELHI: CPM on Monday expressed concern over the "deteriorating" situation in Manipur and demanded that the Union government intervene to end the violence in the northeastern state. Holding CM Biren Singh responsible for the situation in the state, the Left party said that a "grave situation has developed in Manipur with the intensification of violence due to killings and counter-killings on ethnic lines". "Twenty people have been killed in various incidents since November 7," CPM said in a statement.

The discovery of five bodies of women and children, who were abducted earlier, has inflamed the situation in the Imphal Valley, it said and questioned why Singh had been allowed to continue in his post. "Right from the beginning, it was CM Biren Singh who was responsible for the deteriorating situation, yet the central govt and BJP, as the ruling party, refused to remove him and allowed him to continue," CPM said. It said a situation has now arisen where the writ of the state government and the administration does not run.

It is time for the centre to strongly intervene to immediately put an end to the violence..