Imphal | In his efforts to bring back peace in Manipur, Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday met various Meitei and Kuki groups which expressed their commitment for peace and assured that they would work for restoring normalcy in the trouble-torn state.
Shah also held a security review meeting with senior officials of Manipur Police, Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) and Army and said peace and prosperity of Manipur are the government's top priority and instructed them to strictly deal with any activities that disturb peace.
Beginning his day with a meeting with a group of Meitei women leaders (Meira Paibi) in Imphal and subsequent meetings with prominent citizens and civil society group, the home minister also travelled to Kuki-dominated Churachandpur district where he met prominent persons and a delegation of civil society organisations.
"Held a meeting with a group of women leaders (Meira Paibi) in Manipur. Reiterated the significance of the role of women in the society of Manipur. Together, we are committed to ensuring peace and prosperity in the state," Shah tweeted.
In a separate tweet, he said "Had a fruitful discussion with the members of the different Civil Society Organisations today in Imphal. They expressed their commitment to peace and assured that we would together contribute to paving the way to restore normalcy in Manipur." According to a home ministry spokesperson, Shah had a (separate) meeting with prominent personalities in Imphal in the morning who assured their commitment to peace and also conveyed that they would work towards restoring peace in the state.
The home minister also had a separate meeting with political leaders of Manipur.
After his visit to Churachandpur, Shah's office tweeted: "UHM Shri @AmitShah met prominent persons and a delegation of Civil Society Organisations in Churachandpur, Manipur." Before leaving for Churachandpur, he interacted with a group of prominent personalities, intellectuals, retired army officers as well as civil servants.
The delegation expressed their commitment to peace and assured that they would together contribute to paving the way to restore normalcy in Manipur.
The delegates urged the home minister for effective intervention to restore peace and normalcy.
Later in the evening, Shah, along with Chief Minister N Biren Singh, held a security review meeting with senior officials. He also held an all-party meeting in Imphal.
"Reviewed the security situation in Manipur in a meeting with senior officials of the Manipur Police, CAPFs and the Indian Army in Imphal. Peace and prosperity of Manipur is our top priority, instructed them to strictly deal with any activities disturbing the peace," he tweeted.
Shah will visit Moreh and Kangpokpi areas Wednesday. He will interact with the delegations of various local groups in Moreh followed by meeting with civil society organisations in Kangpokpi.
The chief minister, Union Home Secretary Ajay Bhalla and Director of Intelligence Bureau Tapan Deka attended all the meetings with Shah. Bhalla and Deka are travelling with Shah.
After his arrival in Imphal last night, Shah had a meeting with the chief minister, some cabinet ministers, officials and a few political leaders.
Shah is on a four-day visit to Manipur during which he will hold several rounds of security meetings to assess situation and plan further steps to restore normalcy, sources said.
This is the first time the home minister is visiting the northeastern state since the ethnic clashes began in Manipur on May 3.
The state witnessed a sudden spurt in clashes and firing between militants and security forces on Sunday, after a relative lull for over a fortnight.
The death toll from clashes has gone up to 80, officials said.
The ethnic violence first broke out after a 'Tribal Solidarity March' was organised in the hill districts on May 3 to protest the Meitei community's demand for Scheduled Tribe (ST) status.
The violence was preceded by tension over the eviction of Kuki villagers from reserve forest land, which had led to a series of smaller agitations.
Kolkata | West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday said she has written to the Centre, seeking permission to visit the strife-torn state of Manipur.
The Trinamool Congress supremo said that she has written to the union home ministry saying she wants to meet the people of Manipur in their hours of need.
Banerjee, a strong critic of the BJP, also questioned the "delay" by Union Home Minister Amit Shah in visiting Manipur which is being rocked by one of the worst ethnic violence in recent times, and said the "country wants to know the real picture in Manipur".
"I am yet to get any response (to her letter) from the Centre," she told reporters in the state secretariat.
"I do not want to break the peace there. Considering the present situation in Manipur, I do not intend to breach any security norms of the Army and the home ministry. I am looking forward to your kind and urgent response," Banerjee said, quoting from her letter.
However, why she has written to the central government seeking permission to travel to Manipur remained unclear. People from outside the state require an inner line permit which is issued by the state government and not the Centre.
Banerjee's party, TMC, has been trying to expand its footprint outside West Bengal without much success for some time now.
While the party managed to win five seats in the recently held elections to the Meghalaya assembly, it drew a blank in polls to the Tripura assembly earlier this year.
The TMC used to have one MLA in the Manipur assembly, prior to the state elections held there last year. However, TMC legislator Tongbram Robindro had joined the BJP ahead of the 2022 elections.
The Trinamool Congress supremo said that she along with the entire nation is waiting to know the "current situation" in the northeastern state.
"They (BJP leaders) should have gone (to Manipur) earlier. What will they do by going there now? They will not be talking to the peace-loving people there. Like me, others in the country must know how many people have died in Manipur (conflict) till today," Banerjee told reporters at the state secretariat.
Shah reached the northeastern state on Monday night and met political and social leaders to restore peace by hammering out a solution to the issues raised by the warring communities.
Manipur, afflicted by ethnic conflict for nearly a month witnessed a sudden spurt in clashes and firing between militants and security forces on Sunday, after a relative lull for several weeks, drawing national attention to the simmering conflict.
Banerjee said, "Is Manipur disconnected from the rest of the country? What is the situation in Manipur? " Later, she took to social media to condemn the "delay" in the union home minister's visit to Manipur. "HM @AmitShah has finally made it to Manipur, after weeks of ethnic violence! Even now, in their delayed response, BJP4India has not bothered to meet the affected families," she tweeted.
Banerjee had last week accused BJP of trying to create "Manipur-like conflicts" in West Bengal.