Shah meets Kuki, Meitei groups amid Manipur violence

Union home minister Amit Shah met politicians, bureaucrats and civil society groups from both warring Meitei and Kuki communities in Manipur on Tuesday, and later travelled to the worst-hit district of Churachandpur, in an attempt to quell the violence that has singed the northeastern state for close to a month now and killed at least 80 people

- Utpal Parashar and Tanmay Chatterjee

GUWAHATI/KOLKATA: Shah arrived in Manipur on Monday night and held talks with chief minister N Biren Singh, senior officers, and governor Anasuiya Uikey. On Tuesday, he reviewed the security situation with senior officers of Manipur Police, the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs), and the Indian Army. In the evening, he also held an all-party meeting in Imphal.

“During the security meeting, the home minister said that peace and prosperity in Manipur was a top priority and instructed all officers to deal sternly with any activities disturbing the peace,” a home ministry spokesperson said. Shah is expected to travel to the border town of Moreh and the hill district of Kangpokpi on Wednesday.

Shah’s meetings with Meitei and Kuki groups in Imphal and Churachandpur respectively underlined the deep ethnic divide as both communities demanded action against the other. Manipur has been convulsed by ethnic violence since May 3, with the bulk of the clashes between the Meitei community, which constitutes the majority of the state's population and lives largely in Imphal, and the Kukis, who comprise 16% of the state and live largely in the hill districts.

Shah began the day by meeting Meitei groups led by the Coordinating Committee on Manipur Integrity (COCOMI) that submitted an 18-page memorandum.

"There were four main points in our submission including abrogation of suspension of operations (S00) agreement with Kuki militant groups which are violating provisions of the agreement and are engaged in violence and also urged the minister not to consider any demand for separate administration," said Khuraijam Athouba, assistant media coordinator of COCOMI, an umbrella group of five organisations.