Centre assures all possible help to restore normalcy in Manipur: CM

New Delhi/ Imphal: Manipur Chief Minister N. Biren Singh on Sunday said that Union Home Minister Amit Shah has assured that the Central government would take all possible steps to bring back normalcy in Manipur.

After meeting Shah in New Delhi, he said that the Home Minister has advised him to strengthen the work towards achieving everlasting peace and also sought the cooperation of every stakeholder in Manipur to ensure that peace prevails in the state.

After the meeting, the Chief Minister, in a series of tweets, said: “Called on Hon’ble Union Home Minister, Shri Amit Shah Ji in New Delhi today and briefed about the evolving situation on the ground in Manipur.

“Under Amit Shah Ji’s close supervision, the State and Central Govt have been able to control the violence to a great extent in the past week. It may be noted that there has been no report of casualties due to the violence since the 13th of June.

“Hon’ble Union HM has assured that the central government will take all possible steps to bring normalcy in Manipur.

“Further, Amit Shah Ji advised us to strengthen our work towards achieving everlasting peace and also sought the cooperation of every stakeholder in Manipur to ensure that peace prevails in the State.

“I was joined by BJP National Spokesperson Shri Sambit Swaraj Ji, Hon’ble MP Rajya Sabha Shri Maharaja Sanajaoba Leishemba Ji and Hon’ble Speaker Shri Th Satyabrata Singh Ji.”

The Manipur Chief Minister went to Delhi a day after the all party meeting was held by the Union Home Minister in Delhi.

In Saturday’s all-party meeting, Shah reportedly told the political leaders that the government would take steps on the basis of the suggestions submitted by the political parties.

Since the ethnic violence began in Manipur on May 3, this is the Chief Minister’s second visit to New Delhi to hold meetings with Central ministers and leaders.

Various organisations belonging to the Meitei community have been demanding drastic actions against the Kuki, who reportedly violated the ground rules of the tripartite Suspension of Agreement (SoO), signed on August 22, 2008 with the Central and the state governments.

12 militants released after mob stops security forces

Security forces in Manipur’s Imphal East district apprehended a dozen militants of the Kanglei Yawol Kanna Lup (KYKL) outfit on Saturday, but had to hand over all of them to local leaders after a mob, led by women, surrounded the forces and prevented them from going ahead, an official said.

According to a defence spokesman, after Saturday midnight the Army and the Assam Rifles, acting on specific intelligence inputs, launched an operation at Itham village in Imphal East district and the area was cordoned off before the actual search commenced to avoid inconvenience to the locals.

“The operation resulted in the apprehension of 12 KYKL cadres along with arms, ammunition and war-like stores. Self-styled Lt Col Moirangthem Tamba alias Uttam was also among the 12 militants. He was the mastermind of an ambush on the 6th battalion of the DOGRA in 2015,” the spokesman said.

A mob of around 1500 people, led by women and local leaders, immediately surrounded the area and prevented the security forces from continuing the operation despite repeated appeals.

The spokesman said that keeping in view the sensitivity of use of kinetic force against large irate mob and envisaged casualties due to such action, the officer on ground made a considerate decision to hand over all 12 KYKL militants to local leaders.

The Army and the Assam Rifles troops lifted the cordon and left the area with the recovered weapons and ammunition.