Kangla fortified ahead of AT meeting
Source: Chronicle News Service

Imphal, January 23 2024: In view of the meeting proposed by Arambai Tenggol (AT) inside Kangla fort on Wednesday, security measures have been beefed up on Tuesday with large number of central and state forces armed with sophisticated weapons deployed on all four entrances of the fort.

However, central forces were found withdrawn from the area from around midnight.

AT leader Korounganba Khuman had called for a meeting in Kangla on Wednesday with regard to the ethnic violence in the state which has been going on since May 3 and also taking a unanimous oath to safeguard the territorial integrity of Manipur, via his Facebook account.

On Monday, he shared another post on his account informing that a special team of Ministry of Home Affairs met with unit commanders of AT at the residence of the titular king of Manipur in Palace Compound.

The unit commanders put forward their demands for implementation of NRC in Manipur, border fencing, withdrawal of SoO agreement signed with Kuki militants, deportation of refugees from Myanmar and exclusion of illegal Kuki immigrants from the ST list.

On Tuesday, the state government met the AT leaders, wherein the latter reiterated their demands and affirmed that the meeting at Kangla on Wednesday will go ahead as planned.

Ahead of the meeting at Kangla, unprecedented security measures have been taken up with central and state forces put on alert in all four entrances to the fort since Tuesday morning.

Central forces were also witnessed standing .

guard with a medium machine gun at the western gate of Kangla.

Security has been beefed up in and around Kangla Fort where the proposed meeting would be held for a decisive position about the unabated incidents of violence.

The meeting comes in the wake of Kuki militants stepping up attacks in the last couple of days, killing many persons, including two police commandos, four villagers and a village defence volunteer.

It may be mentioned that a three-member Central team led by Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) advisor, AK Mishra is in the state since Monday evening and held meetings with government officials, leaders of various organisations, and elected representatives.

Mishra, accompanied by two Joint Directors, Intelligence Bureau, Mandeep Singh Tuli and Rajesh Kumble, immediately after their arrival held a series of meetings with the government officials and leaders of various organisations and elected leaders.

These meetings also continued on Tuesday.

"The MHA team is likely to visit some tribal areas during their stay in Manipur to hold meetings with tribal bodies, civil society organisations and leaders," an official told IANS, but refused to disclose the details of the meetings held since Monday evening.

BJP MLA Rajkumar Imo Singh in his post on the X on Tuesday said: "State Government decided to reinforce more state forces in the foothills and other vulnerable areas.

"These are being done through inputs from the people of the areas and their respective legislators.

We have recently witnessed civilians getting killed despite the presence of certain para military forces.

Legislators have also moved the Central Government to replace such forces".

Meanwhile, 34 MLAs, mostly of the ruling BJP along with seven Naga legislators, have urged the Central government to abrogate the Suspension of Operation (SoO) with the armed militant outfits, otherwise the legislators would take "appropriate action" in consultation with the people.

The 34 MLAs, in a meeting on Sunday, took a unanimous resolution requesting the Central government to abrogate the SoO, signed between the Central and state governments and 23 Kuki militant outfits in 2008 .

"If Government of India is unable to take any positive action as per the resolution, we the legislators will take appropriate action in consultation with the public," said the resolution, accessed by IANS.

Also, on Sunday, ten like-minded parties' bloc in Manipur led by the Congress also urged the Chief Minister to arrange an all-party meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi to discuss ways and means to resolve the nine month-long ethnic violence in the state.

Manipur has witnessed unprecedented violent clashes, attacks, counter-attacks, and burning of vehicles and government and private properties in 10 of the 16 districts during and after May 3 'Tribal Solidarity March' called by the All-Tribal Students' Union of Manipur to oppose the demand for inclusion of the Meitei community in the Scheduled Tribe category.

In the ethnic violence between the Meetei and Kuki-Zo communities, over 190 people have been killed and over 1500 people injured while over 70,000 people of both communities displaced.

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