Guwahati
With Manipur continuing to remain on the edge with fresh instances of violence erupting now and then and the law and order situation not completely under control, Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Thursday said he will be visiting the State for three days soon.
At the same time, he appealed to the people in Manipur to maintain peace and promised that justice will be ensured to all sections of society.
Shah was in Kamrup district in Assam to lay the foundation stone of the 10th campus of the National Forensic Sciences University to be set up at Changsari area.
The Home Minister said he will travel to the northeastern state to help resolve disputes. “I will go to Manipur soon and stay there for three days but before that, both groups should remove mistrust and suspicion among themselves and ensure that peace is restored in the state,” he said.
The Centre will ensure that justice is given to all who suffered in the clashes which broke out in the state, but “people must hold a dialogue to ensure peace in the state,” Shah said.
His impending visit could go a long way in putting the BJP as well as the Biren Singh dispensation in order. Singh has been facing dissent from a number of tribal MLAs and Ministers from his own party and government and there has even been demands for his removal.
In fact, 10 Kuki MLAs, including seven from the BJP, had on May 12 urged the Centre to create a separate administration for the Chin-Kuki-Mizo-Zomi-Hmar community alleging that Manipur failed them. At least eight tribal MLAs and various civil society organisations also decided not to engage in any dialogue with the Biren Singh government.
Clashes broke out in Manipur after a ‘Tribal Solidarity March’ was organised in the hill districts on May 3 to protest against the Meitei community’s demand for Scheduled Tribe (ST) status.
The violence was preceded by unrest over the eviction of Kuki villagers from reserve forest land, which had led to a series of smaller agitations.
While Meiteis account for about 53 per cent of Manipur’s population and live mostly in the Imphal Valley, the tribals — Nagas and Kukis — constitute another 40 per cent of the population and reside in the hill districts.
The ethnic clashes have claimed over 70 lives and some 10,000 army and para-military personnel had to be deployed to bring back normalcy in the northeastern state.
