Amit Shah in violence-hit Manipur to assess situation, meetings to continue today
Union Home Minister Amit Shah arrived in violence-hit Manipur on Monday night for a three-day visit to broker peace by hammering out a solution between the warring communities – Meiteis and Kukis. He arrived in Imphal on a special flight, and was reportedly accompanied by Home Secretary Ajay Bhalla and other senior officials, reported Indian Express.
He will be in Manipur till June 1.
“The home minister will hold several rounds of security meetings to assess the situation and plan further steps to restore normalcy,” a senior home ministry official said.
“The communities will be assured of safety and asked to lay down arms so that a conducive atmosphere can be prepared to resolve things through talks. Kukis are already in talks with the government for a peace deal. They have been demanding some autonomy in their areas which will be considered,” a home ministry official said.
Shah is expected to hold several rounds of meetings on Tuesday and Wednesday to assess the situation and plan steps to restore normalcy, reported PTI, citing sources.
His visit comes nearly a month after the north-eastern state has been hit with ethnic violence between the Meitei community as the Kuki community.
A ‘Tribal Solidarity March’ on May 3, which was organised in several hill districts, turned violent, following which the state has witnessed a spurt in clashes and firing between militants and security forces. The death toll since then has risen to 80, said officials.
Army and paramilitary personnel have been conducting combing operations in the Imphal valley and surrounding districts, according to an official. At least 25 miscreants with arms, ammunition and grenades have been rounded up by Indian Army and paramilitary forces across ethnic-strife-riven Manipur, officials added on Monday.