Biren briefs Shah, says violence under control
Source: Chronicle News Service

Imphal, June 25 2023: Chief minister N Biren has reiterated his call to the people of Manipur to let the past and to give peace a chance while claiming that the situation has been controlled to a great extent.

Briefing media persons at the Imphal International Airport on his return from the national capital late Sunday evening after meeting union home minister Amit Shah, Biren said that the union home minister is minutely monitoring the situation in the state under instruction from the Prime Minister.

Regarding his visit to Delhi, the CM said he went to seek some advice from the union home minister and to apprise him Of the prevailing situation in the state including that there has been no death since June 13 other than some stray incidents of mob violence.

The union minister was also apprised of the efforts made by the government to restore peace in the state, he added.

During the meeting, the change towards peace witnessed in Manipur was appreciated, but at the same time Amit Shah also strongly expressed the need to find ways to restore peace in the state, he added.

The union home minister also expressed concern on the visible lawlessness witnessed in the valley areas in the past few days despite firing incidents have stopped in the foothill areas, the CM said while highlighting some incidents of vandalism and barricading of security forces along the roads in Imphaf.

Biren said that he also informed Amit Shah that the state govern ment is putting all efforts to enforce rule of law and has even started arresting those involved.

During the meeting, it was stressed that it is time for the government and its machineries to meet Civil Society Organisations and other stakeholders to discuss and understand their demands.

The union minister assured to take maximum responsibility for the hill districts and at the same time instructed the government to ensure that peace is restored in the valley with cooperation of CSOs including Meira Paibi, he added.

The meeting was also attended by Rajya Sabha MP Leishemba Sa-najaoba and Manipur Legislative Assembly speaker Th Satyabrata among others.

MP Sanajaoba and I PR minister Dr Sapam Ranjan accompanied the CM during the press briefing.

Earlier in the day, CM Biren briefed Union home minister Amit Shah in New Delhi about the 'evolving situation' in Manipur and said the state and central governments have been able to control the violence to a "great extent Biren, who reached the national capital in the morning, went to meet Shah at latter's official residence.

' Called on Hon'ble Union Home Minister, Shri @AmitShah 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, " he tweeted.

Biren said there has been no report of casualties since June 13 due to the violence.

He said the home minister assured him that the central government will take all possible steps to bring back normalcy in Manipur.

The chief minister said Shah "advised us to strengthen our work towards achieving everlasting peace" and also sought the cooperation of every stakeholder in Manipur to ensure peace prevails.

"I was joined by BJP National Spokesperson Shri @sam-bitswaraj Ji, Hon'ble MP Rajya Sabha Shri @Maharaja Manipur Ji and Hon'ble Speaker Shri Th Satyabrata Singh Ji," he said.

This comes a day after the home minister chaired an all-party meeting here over the Manipur situation.

Eighteen political parties, four MPs from the northeast and two chief ministers from the region attended the three-hour-long meeting.

The home minister told the all-party meeting that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been monitoring the situation in violence-hit state since day one and "guiding us with full sensitivity'' to find a solution to the problem.

Shan told the meeting the situation in Manipur was slowly returning to normal and not a single person has died since June 13 in the violence in the northeastern state.

The home minister, who had convened the meeting, sought the cooperation of all the political parties to help defuse the situation and restore peace and trust among various communities in Manipur at the earliest.

Shah told the meeting the Modi government is committed to solve the Manipur problem by taking everyone together.

Since the ethnic violence began on May 3; it was the chief minister's second visit to New Delhi to hold meetings with the central ministers and leaders.

On May 14, Biren, accompanied by Power minister Biswajit Singh, who is the second in command in the council of ministry after the chief minister, and state BJP President Adhikarimayum Sharda Devi, had visited Delhi and held a series of meetings with Union Home Minister and other central leaders.

Few political parties including mam opposition Congress have been demanding imposition of President's Rule while the organisations belonging to the Kuki tribal community have been demanding removal of Biren Singh from the top post.

Various organisations belonging to the Meitei community have been demanding drastic actions against the Kuki militants, 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" .

Several Civil Society Organisations (CSO), belonging to the Meitei community, and various political parties have claimed that after the state government started taking actions against the drug menace, smuggling and infiltration from Myanmar, illegal poppy cultivation, the Kuki organisations became irritated and started various agitations.

Last week, CM Biren said that infiltrators from across the border and militants have caused the ongoing unrest in the state and it is not an enmity between two communities.

Manipur shares around 400 km unfenced border with Myanmar.

The horrific ethnic violence in Manipur, which broke out on May 3, and had so far claimed over 120 lives and injured over 400 people of different communities besides destroying a number of varied private and government properties, houses and vehicles.

During the violence, the militants, miscreants and mobs looted thousands of arms and lakhs of ammunition from various police stations and security posts.

(With inputs from PTI) .

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