Judicial panel to probe violence in Manipur: Amit Shah

Home Minister Amit Shah, Manipur CM N Biren Singh in Imphal Thursday. (PTI)

Addressing a press conference at the end of his four-day visit on Thursday, Shah said the judicial committee, led by a retired High Court Judge, would investigate the cause of the violence and identify those responsible for it.

A peace committee, led by Governor Anusuiya Uikey and comprising stakeholders like industrialists, sportspersons, elected representatives, and both Kuki and Meitei members will also be constituted, he said.

Besides Imphal, Shah also went to Moreh, Churachandpur and Kangpokpi, visited relief camps housing Meiteis and Kukis, met representatives of 22 Meitei civil society organisations (CSOs) and 25 Kuki-Zomi CSOs, as well as retired officers, leaders from 11 political parties, national athletes and elected representatives.

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Manipur witnessed a surge in violence over the last few days. The conflict first escalated following a 'Tribal Solidarity March' against the Meitei community's ST status demand, resulting in the loss of at least 70 lives since May 3. (Photo PTI)

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Amid continued violence, Union Home Minister Amit Shah arrived in Imphal for a four-day visit on Monday. (Photo ANI)

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On Tuesday, Central and state government set forth compensation of Rs 10 lakh for victims of ethnic conflict in Manipur. (Photo PTI)

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An Army operation lead to apprehension of 22 armed miscreants suspected of attempting to burn houses in Imphal. (Photo PTI)

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Addressing the situaiton in Manipur, the Chief of Defence Staff Gen Anil Chauhan said that the Indian military is committed to maintaining peace and stability in immediate and extended neighbourhood. (Photo @HQ_IDS_India)

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Meanwhile, Congress delegation led by Mallikarjun Kharge submitted a memorandum to President Droupadi Murmu urging immediate action to control violence and restore peace in Manipur. (Photo PTI)

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Sources in the security establishment said the fact that many civilians were armed with weapons, mostly “looted” from armouries in Imphal, was making it difficult to quell the violence. (Photo PTI)

The peace committee will including representatives of the CSOs.

An Inter-Agency Unified Command will be set up for “better coordination” among all security agencies on the ground, and will be headed by Kuldiep Singh, security advisor to the state government.

Shah also announced a CBI probe to investigate six cases, including five identified cases from all registered cases and one case of general conspiracy.

Speaking of militant groups, Shah said: “I want to give a stern message to the SoO (Suspension of Operations agreement brokering ceasefire) groups. Any kind of violation of SoO agreements will be met with very severely and will be treated as breaking the agreement. From today, we will monitor this very strictly,” he said. A number of Kuki militant groups have signed the SoO.

Shah also appealed to people possessing weapons looted from government armouries to surrender their weapons, stating that police would begin mass combing operations on Friday. Asked about looting of arms by civilians, he said, “Quite a lot of arms have returned. When a mob approaches, there is hesitation to fire at them directly.”

As indicated earlier, Shah announced a relief and rehabilitation package of Rs 10 lakh each for the families of those killed, with both the state and central governments contributing equal amounts. A compensation package for those who were injured, or suffered property damage will be notified on Friday.

“So that there is no shortage of essential goods, 30,000 metric tonnes more than the fixed quota of rice has been sent by the Union government, to be distributed over two months… Gas, petrol, and vegetables are on their way,” Shah said.

Pointing to shortage of medical staff, particularly in Kuki-Zomi dominated areas, he said eight medical teams comprising 20 specialist doctors have been constituted by the Centre and will be sent to Churachandpur, Kangpokpi and Moreh.

“Some officials from the Union government’s education department have reached Manipur and, after a meeting with officials from the state education department, a concrete plan will be made so that children’s education is not obstructed, which will include online education, online examination and distance teaching… Because people in some areas are having difficulty reaching courts, we are in talks with the High Court to set up arrangements for virtual appearances in three locations — Churachandpur, Moreh and Kangpokpi,” he said.

To implement these measures, Shah said, a joint secretary level official and five director level officials from different Union government departments will be sent to Manipur.

“For a permanent solution, we have done border fencing along 10 km of the Myanmar-Manipur border on a trial basis, and done the tendering process for another 80 km. We have begun surveys along the remaining border. The work of collecting the biometrics of people coming from the neighbouring country has begun,” he said.

Shah also reiterated his earlier statement that the Manipur violence broke out because of the High Court’s order asking the state government to submit a recommendation for the inclusion of the Meitei community in the state’s list of Scheduled Tribes.

“On April 29, the Manipur High Court took a hasty decision because of which ethnic violence, and violence between two groups started. For the last six years, ever since Manipur has had a BJP government, Manipur has been free from bandhs, blockades, curfew and violence…. These six years are known in Manipur’s history as six years of peace and progress,” he said.