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India Gazette
02-06-2025
- Politics
- India Gazette
Manipur: Union Home Secretary, IB Chief visit relief centres in Churachandpur; tailoring centres, creche facilities inaugurated
Churachandpur (Manipur) [India], June 2 (ANI): Union Home Secretary Govind Mohan and Intelligence Bureau (IB) Director Tapan Kumar Deka visited two relief centres for internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Manipur's Churachandpur on Monday. They were accompanied by Manipur Chief Secretary Prashant Kumar Singh, Director General of Police Rajeev Singh, and other senior officials from both the Centre and the state government. The visit began with an inspection of the relief centre at Dorcas Locality Community Hall, where the Home Secretary inaugurated a Women's Tailoring Centre under the Rural Self-Employment Training Institutes (RSETI), a creche facility and the Wall of Hope. During the visit, traditional shawls and gifts were presented to the dignitaries in a special programme. The officials also felicitated displaced students, from Class I to matriculation, who had excelled in academics, awarding them certificates and other forms of recognition. The delegation then moved to the Sadbhavna Mandap Relief Centre, where the Home Secretary inaugurated additional tailoring centres, a creche facility, the Wall of Hope and handicraft stalls. Govind Mohan also distributed gifts among the relief centre inmates and reviewed the living conditions and welfare arrangements for those displaced by recent unrest. President's Rule was imposed in Manipur on February 13, days after BJP leader N. Biren Singh resigned as Chief Minister. The state has witnessed ethnic conflict which began on May 3, 2023. The Parliament approved the imposition of President's Rule in Manipur in April. In his remarks during the debate in Lok Sabha, Union Home Minister Amit Shah had said that ethnic violence between two communities in Manipur had started due to a decision by the Manipur High Court regarding a reservation-related dispute. He mentioned that these are neither riots nor terrorism, but ethnic violence between two communities as a result of the interpretation of the High Court's decision. He mentioned that on the day the High Court's order was issued, security forces' companies were dispatched to the region via Air Force planes. He emphasised that the government is making every possible effort to restore peace in Manipur. The minister also mentioned that after the imposition of President's Rule in Manipur, discussions were held with both communities, and separate meetings with all organizations from both communities have taken place. (ANI)
Yahoo
06-02-2025
- General
- Yahoo
'Wall of Hope' memorializes DC plane crash victims
A "Wall of Hope" memorial has been set up to honor those who lost their lives in the recent Washington, D.C., plane crash. "Something about flowers makes you begin to heal, and I think that's so important," said the founder of Wall of Hope Foundation Leo Soto. The memorial, which is housed along the National Mall in Washington, D.C., features hundreds of flowers and pictures of all 67 people killed on Jan. 29, when an American Airlines regional jet crashed into a U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter. Soto, 29, has brought these floral displays, also known as "walls of hope," to cities across the globe that have suffered disastrous tragedies since 2021, when he lost a high school friend to a building collapse in Surfside, Florida, and wanted to pay tribute to the lives lost. He previously set up memorials in Uvalde, Texas, after the horrific school shooting in 2022, in Fort Myers, Florida after Hurricane Ian in 2022 and even in Lviv, Ukraine to honor the civilian victims of the war. "When things happen, people don't really have a central location to come to for the community to begin to grieve and pay respects to their loved ones," Soto told ABC News. "So they walk around aimlessly like zombies." Soto has built connections with flower importers in his hometown of Miami but also seeks out local businesses in the impacted areas he travels to for donated flowers. Typically, Soto will show up alone, with loads of fresh flowers and laminated pictures of victims, when something indescribable happens — strangers off the street offer to help set up the display, each taking a moment to contribute to this memorial. Soto said he began working in D.C. on Tuesday and the display only took about three hours to complete. MORE: Olympic figure skaters to honor DC plane crash victims in tribute show The best part about the memorial process is the community's ability to make each memorial its own, Soto told ABC News. Whether it's adding teddy bears, poems or paintings, Soto's original idea takes on its own meaning, full of powerful emotion. "I've seen people cry, I've seen people hug me. I've seen people avoid looking at it because it's so painful," Soto said. "It creates a genuine reaction within each individual, and I think that's a beautiful way to honor the victims that were lost." Soto encourages memorial visitors to bring artificial flowers to replenish the display and lengthen the lifespan of the tribute. Soto said the foundation is also partnering with local artists to add additional creations to the side panels of the memorial. "The community involvement is what's really important to me," Soto said. "It's not just a memorial that's there to be seen. It's a memorial that's there to be grown and taken over by the local community." 'Wall of Hope' memorializes DC plane crash victims originally appeared on
