Home Minister Amit Shah seeks strategic use of central forces, asks officials to ensure no more violence in Manipur (Lead)

New Delhi/Imphal, June 17 (IANS) Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Monday stressed the strategic deployment of the central forces to restore peace and tranquillity in Manipur and directed the officials to ensure that no further incident of violence takes place in the northeastern state.

Chairing a high-level review meeting on the Manipur situation in New Delhi, the Home Minister said that the forces would be increased, if required, and further directed that strict action must be taken as per law against the perpetrators of violence.

He said that the Central government, under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, is fully committed to ensuring the safety and security of all citizens of Manipur, an official statement said.

The Home Minister also reviewed the situation in relief camps, especially with respect to the proper availability of food, water, medicines and other basic amenities. He directed the state Chief Secretary to ensure proper health and education facilities for the displaced people and their rehabilitation.

The Home Minister underscored the importance of a coordinated approach to resolve the ongoing ethnic conflict. He said that the Ministry of Home Affairs would talk to both the groups, Meiteis and Kukis, so as to bridge the ethnic divide, at the earliest.

The Centre has been actively supporting the Manipur government in strengthening the security situation in the state, the statement mentioned the Home Minister as saying.

Union Home Secretary Ajay Bhalla, Intelligence Bureau Director Tapan Deka, Army chief, General Manoj Pande, Army chief-designate Lt General Upendra Dwivedi, Chief Secretary Vineet Joshi, Advisor to the Manipur government, Kuldiep Singh, state Director General of Police Rajiv Singh and senior officials of Army and MHA were present at the meeting.

Manipur Governor Anusuiya Uikey had called on President Droupadi Murmu at Rashtrapati Bhavan on Sunday and discussed the situation in the state. She apprised the President about the hardships faced by the displaced persons sheltered in various relief camps in the state, and requested immediate action and financial assistance for their resettlement in their respective villages, sources said.

Manipur Raj Bhawan sources said that the President assured to extend all possible support.

The Governor also met Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman at Rashtrapati Bhavan and requested financial assistance for Manipur.

The ethnic strife in Manipur since May 3 last year has left over 50,000 men, women and children belonging to different communities displaced and are now sheltered in 350 camps set up in schools, government buildings, and auditoriums in Manipur.

Currently. tension has been prevailing in Manipur’s mixed-population Jiribam district, adjoining southern Assam, since the killing of 59-year-old farmer Soibam Saratkumar Singh on June 6. Additional CRPF troopers have been deployed in the interior areas of its Borobekra subdivision to maintain peace and tranquillity.

Around 900 tribals belonging to the Kuki and Hmar communities took shelter at the homes of relatives and friends in two villages – Haokippunji and Hmarkhawlienin – in the Cachar district of southern Assam, after violence broke out. Due to the violence and burning of over 100 houses and other properties including two check gates of the police, around 1,000 people, mostly belonging to the Meitei community, are now sheltered in seven relief camps in Jiribam, which is inhabited by Meiteis, Nagas, Kukis, Muslims and non-Manipuris.

–IANS

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