Union Home Minister Amit Shah paid a visit to Churachandpur on Tuesday, the site of some of the worst rioting in Manipur's recent ethnic conflict, which erupted earlier this month, to meet with Kuki civil society leaders. During Shah's visit, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee stated that the home minister's visit to the northeastern state comes after she requested a visit to Manipur in a letter to the ministry. As Shah held a series of meetings with state leaders since his arrival, Mamata questioned why is Shah not meeting with the people of the state.
"I also wrote a letter seeking permission to visit Manipur and talk to the peace-loving people of Manipur. Since I wrote a letter, that's why he (Union HM Amit Shah) did that. Despite visiting Manipur, he isn't speaking with the people of the state," Mamata was quoted as saying by news agency ANI.
Shah arrived in a helicopter with the IB chief and the home secretary earlier today, among other things, to meet with church leaders and intellectuals from the Kuki community to understand their grievances and find ways to bring peace to the northeastern state, which has seen a series of clashes between Meiteis and Kukis.
For nearly a month, Manipur has been gripped by ethnic conflict, with a sudden uptick in clashes and firing between militants and security forces on Sunday, following a relative lull of more than a fortnight.
The home minister arrived in Imphal late Monday night, accompanied by Home Secretary Ajay Kumar Bhalla and Intelligence Bureau Director Tapan Kumar Deka.
IN PICS | Amit Shah Meets CM Biren Singh, Civil Society Members In Visit To Violence-Hit Manipur
AMIT SHAH CHAIRS MEETING WITH STATE WOMEN LEADERS:
As part of his initiative to bring peace to the violence-torn state, Shah met with stakeholders on Tuesday, beginning with a breakfast meeting with a group of women leaders.
"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," Shah tweeted.
IN PICS | IN PICS | Amit Shah Meets CM Biren Singh, Civil Society Members In Visit To Violence-Hit Manipur
HOME MINISTER MEETS CIVIL SOCIETY DELEGATION:
The Union Home Minister also met with a delegation of different civil society organisations.
The government announced that those who died during the ethnic conflict in Manipur would be compensated with Rs 10 lakh. A job will also be provided to a member of the family of those who died in the rioting.
The compensation amount will be borne equally by the centre and the state, news agency PTI reported citing officials. The decision was made late Monday night during a meeting between Union Home Minister and Chief Minister N Biren Singh.
The meeting also decided that essential items such as petrol, LPG gas, rice and other food products would be made available in large quantities in order to keep prices low, PTI reported.
Ethnic clashes erupted in Manipur on May 3 following a 'Tribal Solidarity March' in the hill districts to protest the Meitei community's demand for Scheduled Tribe (ST) status. Since then, there have been waves of unrest, with the most recent round of clashes killing at least five people on Sunday.
The eviction of Kuki villagers from reserve forest land had sparked a series of smaller protests prior to the violence.