Amit Shah Meets Kuki Leaders Over Manipur Turmoil

GUWAHATI: Amid the growing demand for a separate administration for the tribals living in the hills of Manipur, Union home minister Amit Shah on Tuesday visited trouble-torn Churachandpur to meet the representative of the Kuki community who insisted on their demand for a separate administration circle for them in the state.

Earlier in the day, he held a series of consultations with various stakeholders which started with a breakfast meeting with a group of women leaders and a separate meeting with prominent personalities as part of his efforts to bring lasting peace in the violence-hit state.

This is the first time the home minister is visiting the northeastern state since the ethnic clashes began in Manipur on May 3.

Mr Shah also held another meeting with a delegation of civil society outfits as part of his outreach and they expressed their commitment to peace and assured that they would work for restoring normalcy in Manipur.

“Held a meeting with a group of women leaders (Meira Paibi) in Manipur. Reiterated the significance of the role of women in the society of Manipur. Together, we are committed to ensuring peace and prosperity in the state,” he tweeted.

Soon after landing in Imphal on Monday, Mr Shah held a meeting with Manipur chief minister N. Biren Singh, senior members of his Cabinet and key security officials. He also met governor Anusuiya Uikey.

Senior IPS officer Rajiv Singh, now working as an inspector-general with the CRPF, has, meanwhile, been sent to Manipur and is likely to be appointed to a key post to handle the security situation in the state. He is a 1993 batch IPS officer of the Tripura cadre. The home ministry has directed the CRPF to relieve him immediately to enable him to take up his new assignment.

Soon after the violence broke out in the state on May 3, the Union government appointed former CRPF DG Kuldiep Singh as a security adviser to the Manipur government.

During the meeting chaired by the home minister with state and Central officials, it was it was decided that the priority of the administration should be to restore law and order and then carry out relief operations. Security sources said it was also decided to let the security forces take action to disarm groups that have armed themselves with state armoury guns.

In an effort to restore peace in the state swiftly, Mr Shah is likely to hold an all-party meeting in Imphal on Wednesday or Thursday, the sources said, but this is yet to be confirmed by officials.

In the meantime, the Union home minister also asked the state administration to work out ways with the Centre’s help to ensure the uninterrupted supply of essential items to Manipur. Sources said due to a blockade by various groups of Meiteis and Kukis on the national highways, the supply of food and fuel into the state, particularly Imphal, has been severely disrupted, and prices have gone through the roof.

Mr Shah also decided to give a compensation of Rs 10 lakhs to the kin of the deceased with a 50-50 ratio of contribution from the state and the Centre. Sources also said a proposal to provide jobs to the kin of the deceased is also on the table.

Mr Shah also met Imphal-based women vendors of the Ima market, who have also held protests during the turmoil in the state.

Sources said Mr Shah is also due to meet some of the 10 dissenting MLAs from the Kuki community who have given a memorandum to the Centre demanding a “separate administration” at Churachandpur later on Tuesday evening. He is also likely to visit hospitals there to meet the injured in recent clashes between the two communities.

It is significant at least 1,000 weapons and 10,000 rounds of ammunition have reportedly been “looted” from armouries in Imphal by some Meitei groups in the initial days of the violence. In fact, 1,000 more weapons were allegedly looted by these groups on May 27-28, security sources said.

Earlier, some Kuki groups were also alleged to have looted weapons from police stations in Churachandpur. Security sources said that some weapons were given by Kuki militants belonging to Suspension of Operation (SoO) groups too.

The administration has recovered only about 500 weapons so far. “With tension rising, the groups are not ready to surrender their weapons any more, and the administration does not want to use excessive force to retrieve them,” the security sources in Imphal said, hoping that Mr Shah’s visit and talks with both Kukis and Meiteis, may persuade them to return the weapons.

Saying the situation in Manipur continues to remain tense amid the reports of sporadic violence, authoritative security sources in Imphal pointed out that it was challenging for the security forces to quell the violence as many in civilian areas are armed with weapons, mostly “looted” from armouries in Imphal.

 “In most cases, the arms have not been looted, rather handed over. People of a specific community in the administration want to help their brethren in this conflict situation,” a senior officer in Imphal said.