Guwahati, Aug. 17 -- On the 79th anniversary of India's independence, the Prime Minister delivered a 103-minute address from the Red Fort.

While the speech touched on a wide range of topics, from economic goals and the "Viksit Bharat" ambition to natural calamities and defense operations, one pressing issue was conspicuously absent: the ongoing ethnic violence in Manipur.

Over two years have passed since clashes first erupted on May 3, 2023, between the Meitei and Kuki-Zo communities. Since then, the conflict has displaced an estimated 70,000 people and claimed at least 260 lives, according to official records.

Despite the scale of this humanitarian crisis, the plight of the Manipuri people went unmentioned, a silence that many found d...