Imphal, May 30 (PTI) In his efforts to bring back peace in Manipur, Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday met various Meitei and Kuki groups which expressed their commitment for peace and assured that they would work for restoring normalcy in the trouble-torn state.
Shah also held a security review meeting with senior officials of Manipur Police, Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) and Army and said peace and prosperity of Manipur are the government’s top priority and instructed them to strictly deal with any activities that disturb peace.
Beginning his day with a meeting with a group of Meitei women leaders (Meira Paibi) in Imphal and subsequent meetings with prominent citizens and civil society group, the home minister also travelled to Kuki-dominated Churachandpur district where he met prominent persons and a delegation of civil society organisations.
“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 a separate tweet, he said “Had a fruitful discussion with the members of the different Civil Society Organisations today in Imphal. They expressed their commitment to peace and assured that we would together contribute to paving the way to restore normalcy in Manipur.” According to a home ministry spokesperson, Shah had a (separate) meeting with prominent personalities in Imphal in the morning who assured their commitment to peace and also conveyed that they would work towards restoring peace in the state.
The home minister also had a separate meeting with political leaders of Manipur.
After his visit to Churachandpur, Shah’s office tweeted: “UHM Shri @AmitShah met prominent persons and a delegation of Civil Society Organisations in Churachandpur, Manipur.” Later in the evening, Shah, along with Chief Minister N Biren Singh, held a security review meeting with senior officials.
“Reviewed the security situation in Manipur in a meeting with senior officials of the Manipur Police, CAPFs and the Indian Army in Imphal. Peace and prosperity of Manipur is our top priority, instructed them to strictly deal with any activities disturbing the peace,” he tweeted.
The chief minister, Union Home Secretary Ajay Bhalla and Director of Intelligence Bureau Tapan Deka attended all the meetings with Shah. Bhalla and Deka are travelling with Shah.
After his arrival in Imphal last night, Shah had a meeting with the chief minister, some cabinet ministers, officials and a few political leaders.
Shah is on a four-day visit to Manipur during which he will hold several rounds of security meetings to assess situation and plan further steps to restore normalcy, sources said.
This is the first time the home minister is visiting the northeastern state since the ethnic clashes began in Manipur on May 3.
The state witnessed a sudden spurt in clashes and firing between militants and security forces on Sunday, after a relative lull for over a fortnight.
The death toll from clashes has gone up to 80, officials said.
The ethnic violence first broke out after a ‘Tribal Solidarity March’ was organised in the hill districts on May 3 to protest the Meitei community’s demand for Scheduled Tribe (ST) status.
The violence was preceded by tension over the eviction of Kuki villagers from reserve forest land, which had led to a series of smaller agitations. PTI ACB ZMN ZMN
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