‘Peace top priority’: Amit Shah chairs key meet in violence-hit Manipur, orders strict action

Manipur ,May 31 : Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday said the government’s top priority is peace and prosperity in Manipur and instructed security officials to strictly deal with any activities that disturb peace in the state.

Shah said this after a review meeting with senior officials of the Manipur Police, Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) and the Indian Army. The meeting also decided to ensure that essential items such as petrol, LPG gas, rice and other food products would be made available in large quantities to cool down prices.

The home minister is currently visiting Manipur as part of efforts to bring back peace in the ethnic violence-hit state.

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“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.

On Tuesday, Amit Shah visited Churachandpur, the scene of some of the worst rioting in the recent ethnic conflict which broke out in Manipur earlier this month, to hold talks with Kuki civil society leaders.

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Shah, who flew down in a helicopter accompanied by the IB chief and home secretary, met church leaders as well as intellectuals from the Kuki community to understand their grievances and find ways to bring peace to the northeastern state which has witnessed a series of clashes between Meiteis and Kukis.

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Earlier in the day, the government announced it will give a compensation of Rs 10 lakh to those who died during the ethnic conflict in Manipur. A member of the family of those who died in the rioting will also be provided a job. The compensation amount will be borne equally by the Centre and the state, officials said.

The decision was taken at a meeting between the Union Home Minister and chief minister, N Biren Singh, on late Monday night.

Manipur has been hit by ethnic conflict for nearly a month and 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.

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Amit Shah also held consultations on Tuesday with stakeholders starting with a breakfast meeting with a group of women leaders, as part of his initiative to bring peace to the violence-hit state.

“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.

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Ethnic clashes broke out in Manipur 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. Since then there have been waves of unrest, including the latest round of clashes which saw at least 5 dead on Sunday.

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.

Meiteis account for about 53 per cent of Manipur’s population and live mostly in the Imphal Valley. Tribals Nagas and Kukis constitute another 40 per cent of the population and reside in the hill districts.

Around 10,000 personnel of the Indian Army and Assam Rifles, besides those from other paramilitary forces, had to be deployed to bring back normalcy in the northeastern state.

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-PTI