Imphal, July 11: A four member delegation of Congress (I) MPs, led by AICC general secretary in charge of the northeast, Mani Shankar Aiyar, arrived in Imphal today to make a ground assessment of the situation here.

Apart from Mani Shankar Aiyar, the other MPs include BK Handique, Lok Sabha MP from Assam, PR Kyndiah, MP from Meghalaya, and Arunachal Pradesh Rajya Sabha MP N Rabiya.

After arrival in Imphal on the 11:30 am flight the AICC team met with MPCC (I) president O Ibobi Singh and other leaders and later proceeded to the Kekrupat cremation grounds, where they paid floral tributes in homage to the souls of the 15 people who have been martyred in the anti-ceasefire agitation.

Afterwards, they went to RIMS hospital and JN hospital where they met with people who were injured in the course of the movement.

The MPs team also visited the Assembly secretariat, the Speaker's Bungalow; the chief minister's office and MLA's quarters which were burnt during the June 18 violence, apart from Congress Bhavan.

The MPs team, while talking with the injured, admitted that their visit was extremely late.

They also disclosed that they would meet representatives of various voluntary organizations and members of the public to make an assessment of the situation.

The MPs' team later met with Governor Ved Marwah at the Raj Bhavan and held discussions on the situation in the state.

Mani Shankar Aiyar, speaking to an NGO's delegation that met with the team this evening, said the Congress president Sonia Gandhi has always acknowledged the feelings of the people and has taken a hard stand for the protection of territorial integrity of the state.

He also stated that the Congressed opposed the ceasefire extension outside Nagaland without the consent of the concerned states.

The Congress will raise the issue in Parliament when the NDA government brings up the bill for ratification of President's Rule, he said.

On the June 18 incident, he said the Congress will demand a judicial probe as it feels a magisterial probe is not enough.

He stressed that such a problem never occurred when the Congress was in power at the Centre.

With regard to Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee's announcement for the review of ceasefire extension, he said, we do not know the outcome of the review and the Congress will fight both form inside and outside Parliament against the ceasefire extension in other north east states.

The AICC team after returning to Delhi will be submitting a report to the Congress (I) high command.

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