Biren and team back after meeting Central leaders at Delhi
Case of Manipur spelt out before Union Home Minister
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, May 14 2023: Two days after 10 Kuki-Chin MLAs demanded separate administration, Chief Minister N Biren Singh rushed to Delhi in a charted flight today morning on being summoned by the Central BJP leaders.

Reportedly, the Chief Minister was accompanied by Education Minister Th Basanta Kumar, RD & PR Minister Y Khemchand, Power Minister Th Biswajit, Works Minister K Govindas and BJP State unit president A Sarda.

Sources informed The Sangai Express late in the evening today that the Chief Minister and his team returned to Imphal late in the evening today after meeting Home Minister Amit Shah.

The source said that the meeting where the case of Manipur was presented clearly, was fruitful, and the Chief Minister is set to address the media tomorrow at 9.30 am .

Another highly reliable source said that 10 MLAs who demanded separate administration have also been called by Union Home Minister Amit Shah today to hold a dialogue about the developing law and order and political situation in Manipur at Delhi.

It ,is however not yet clear whether they went to Delhi on their own volition or were summoned.

It is also not clear if Delhi has granted them an audience or not.

It is further reported that the post of Chief Minister in charge has been entrusted to a senior Minister of the Cabinet given the law and order situation in the State.

To whom the post has been given, however, couldn't be confirmed as of yet.

The ten MLAs who have demanded 'separate administration' include Saitu AC MLA Haokholet Kipgen, Tipaimukh AC MLA Ngursanglur Sanate, Saikul AC MLA Kimneo Haokip Hangshing, Tengnoupal AC MLA Letpao Haokip, Churachandpur AC MLA LM Khaute, Henglep AC MLA Letzamang Haokip, Singngat AC MLA Chinlunthang, Saikot AC MLA Paolienlal Haokip, Kangpokpi AC MLA Nemcha Kipgen and Thanlon AC MLA Vungjagin Valte .

Whether Vungjagin Valte responded to the summon of the Central leaders is not known till the time of filing this report as he got injured in the initial stage of the ethnic conflict and was airlifted and admitted to a hospital at Guwahati.

The ten MLAs include five BJP MLAs, two JD-U MLAs, two KPA MLAs, and one Independent MLA who had extended their support to the present BJP Government in Manipur.

The five BJP MLAs include two Ministers, namely, Nemcha Kipgen, who is the Minister for Textiles, Commerce, and Industry and Cooperation, and Letpao Haokip, who is the Minister for Tribal Affairs and Hills, Horticulture and Soil Conservation.

The other BJP MLAs are Paolienlal Haokip, Vungjagin Valte, and Letzamang Haokip.

The two JD-U MLAs are LM Khaute and Ngursanglur Sanate and the the two Kuki People's Alliance (KPA) MLAs are Chinlunthang and Kimneo Haokip Hangshing.

The Independent MLA is Haokholet Kipgen.

The 10 MLAs issued a joint statement on May 12 demanding separate administration, claiming that the the unabated violence that began on May 3 in Manipur perpetrated by majority Meiteis and tacitly supported by existing Government of Manipur against the Chin-Kuki-Mizo-Zomi hill tribals has already partitioned the State.

The Chief Minister had in his latest press briefing held on May 8 said that a high level enquiry will be conducted to fix responsibility on the persons and groups who orchestrated the violence.

Notably, the State has been facing law and order crisis since May 3 after the Tribal Solidarity March of All Tribal Students' Union of Manipur (ATSUM) turned violent leading to one of the worst ethnic clashes seen in Manipur.

Dozens of people have been killed in the series of violence and several houses, properties and religious establishments were either burnt or ransacked by mob.

Internet service has also been suspended by the Government since then.

The violence reached such heights that even people started looting weapons and arms from police stations and gun houses.

Exchange of gun fire is taking place regularly between the security forces and suspected Kuki militant groups which have inked the the Suspension of Operation (SoO) pact with the Government mostly at places where mixed population reside.

A video footage of a man armed with sophisticated weapon taking part in a mob attack was circulated widely on social media in the initial stage of the conflict.

The Security Advisor to Manipur Government had on two occasions confirmed that some cadres of the SoO groups have vanished from the designated camps and some arms and ammunition were found missing in two camps.

A number of civil society organisations of Manipur have also demanded that the SoO pact be abrogated.

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