Amit Shah In Manipur: HM To Arrive In Imphal Today For 3-Day Visit To Review Security Situation

Union Home Minister Amit Shah will arrive in violence-hit Manipur today on a three-day visit. Welfare groups of the Kuki Zo community in the state have welcomed the development.

File Photo of Union Home Minister Amit Shah | Smoke billows from a fire that broke out amid clashes between armed groups and security forces, in Manipur, Sunday, May 28, 2023.

Source : PTI

Guwahati: Union Home Minister Amit Shah will arrive in violence-hit Manipur on Monday on a three-day visit and hold meetings with various stakeholders to usher in peace in the hill state. The United People's Front and the Kuki National Organisation, which work for the welfare of the Kuki Zo community in Manipur, said they are looking forward to Union Home Minister Amit Shah's forthcoming visit to the violence-hit state. He will arrive in Imphal this evening. In his visit till June 1, the Home Minister will hold several rounds of security meetings to assess the situation and plan further steps to restore normalcy.

Talking to media persons in Guwahati, Assam minister Leishangthem Susindro Meitei said last week, "Amit Shah has asked us to bring in peace in the strife-torn state and he himself will come to the state to ensure that peace prevails in the state. He is likely to come to Manipur on May 29 and stay in the state till June 1."

While speaking at the foundation stone laying ceremony of the National Forensic Science University (NFSU) in Assam's Guwahati, Shah announced that he would soon visit Manipur. He appealed to the people of Manipur to maintain peace and promised that justice will be ensured to all sections of society.

"There were clashes in Manipur after the verdict of a court. I appeal to both groups they should maintain peace. The Centre will ensure that justice is given to all who suffered in the clashes which broke out in the state, but people must hold a dialogue to ensure peace in the state," the Home Minister said.

In a statement, the two organisations said that "the killing of innocent Kuki Zo lives caused by spiralling rounds of ethnic tension has caused immense hurt." "Unless peace is restored and justice meted out quickly, it will have detrimental effect for the people of the region. The irreparable loss of our beloved brothers and sisters has caused us intolerable pain," the statement added, as quoted by news agency PTI.

"We acknowledge the deployment of central forces in troubled areas as a positive step to safeguard our community from further attacks," they said.

Now that the Union home minister is visiting Manipur for three days for an on-the-spot study of the situation to find a solution to the ongoing ethnic clashes, the two organisations said they view the Centre's initiative positively.

"This planned visit has given a sense of security among the Kuki Zo tribe. We look forward to his actions and directions to end this ongoing ethnic clashes between the two communities," they said.

The organisations appealed to the Kuki Zo population to maintain peace and wait for the outcome of Shah's peace mission to the state, PTI reported.

Violence In Manipur Amid Nation-Wide Celebration Of New Parliament Building

When the entire nation was busy celebrating the inauguration of the new Parliament building, the people of the northeastern state of Manipur were trying to save themselves from getting caught up in the crossfire of a daytime gunfight between the armed militants and security forces.

 

Indian Army soldiers stand guard in a vulnerable village in Manipur to prevent the people from armed militants on Sunday. (Photo: Pallav Bora)

At dusk, at least 40 suspected Kuki militants were killed in the gunfight with the security forces.

Meanwhile, fresh incidents of large-scale violence have been reported from different parts of Manipur with several houses and other infrastructures being set on fire by armed as well as unarmed miscreants.

 

Houses burnt down by armed militants in a remote village in Manipur on Sunday. (Photo: Pallav Bora)

An Assistant sub-inspector (ASI) of Manipur police has been reportedly killed in a gunfight with armed militants at the Sugnu area in the Kakching district of the state. Two of his security personnel were also reportedly injured in the gunfight.

Two civilians were also killed after getting caught up in the crossfire while two others were injured.

Violence erupted in Manipur on May 3 during a “tribal solidarity march” in protest against the Meiteis’ demand for Scheduled Tribes (ST) status.

Tension in the state had been already simmering in view of the eviction of Kuki villagers from the reserve forest lands.

The violence erupted immediately after a high court order recommended a push for granting ST status to the Meiteis, which is a majority community in the state.

Manipur Violence: At Least 78 Dead, 140 Columns Of Indian Army And Assam Rifles On Ground

Since the outbreak of the violent ethnic clashes on May 3, at least 78 people have lost their lives, while another 300 people have been injured.

Besides this, more than 2,000 houses have been torched by the armed militants, thus displacing over 35,000 people, who are still homeless.  

Owing to the internal security situation in Manipur, the state administration requisitioned the Indian Army and Assam Rifles on May 3, 2023.

As an immediate response, the Indian Army and Assam Rifles soon deployed 135 columns to diffuse the situation by carrying out active domination of sensitive and fringe areas.

At present, around 140 columns of the Indian Army and Assam Rifles, comprising over 10,000 personnel, besides those from other paramilitary forces, have been deployed to bring back normalcy in the crisis-hit state.

With inputs by Pallav Bora, a senior independent journalist covering the Northeast.