Amit Shah chairs meet to ‘bridge ethnic divide’ in Manipur, CM not invited

Amit Shah chairs meeting to address Manipur ethnic conflict, emphasizes coordinated approach, increased security forces, and peace restoration.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah chaired a high-level meeting on Monday to review the “current status” of the Manipur ethnic conflict and the “way forward” without the presence of Chief Minister N. Biren Singh.

Underscoring the importance of a coordinated approach to resolve the ongoing conflict, Mr. Shah said the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) will talk to both the groups, Meiteis and Kuki-Zo, “to bridge the ethnic divide at the earliest.”

A government source told The Hindu that Mr. Singh was not invited to the meeting as it was restricted to “security officials”.

A Manipur government source, explaining Mr. Singh’s absence, said that since May 30, 2023, Kuldiep Singh, Security Adviser, Manipur Government, has been designated as the chairperson of the Unified Command that is responsible for security-related decisions in the State.

Mr. Shah said the Government of India has been actively supporting the State government in strengthening the security situation.

The meeting comes in the wake of fresh violence in the Jiribam district that had remained unaffected by ethnic strife so far. Even as the meeting was underway, hundreds of vehicles carrying essential commodities to the Imphal valley were stuck along National Highway-37, which connects Assam to Manipur, due to a blockade imposed by Kuki-Zo Village Volunteers in Jiribam. They said they were doing this in response to people from the Meitei community “deliberately preventing Kuki-Zo people from using NH-37”, also a lifeline for Jiribam.

The MHA said Mr. Shah conducted a “holistic review” of the security situation and directed officials to ensure that no further incident of violence took place in Manipur. He added that the deployment of central security forces will be increased, and, if required, they should be strategically placed to “restore peace and tranquility” in the State. He further directed that strict action must be taken as per law against the perpetrators of violence.