Home Minister Amit Shah in Manipur, to review security, hold talks with Kukis, Meiteis

Sources in the security establishment said the fact that many were armed with weapons, mostly “looted” from armouries in Imphal, was making it difficult to quell the violence. “In most cases, the arms have not been looted, but rather handed over. People of a specific community in the administration want to help their brethren in this conflict situation,” said an officer who is currently in Manipur.

While Chief Minister N Biren Singh on Sunday blamed “Kuki militants who are supposedly under the Suspension of Operation (SoO) agreement”, for the continuing violence, these sources said gun-toting miscreants, from both the Kuki and Meitei communities, had clashed with security forces over the past few days. Former CRPF DG Kuldiep Singh, who was appointed security advisor to the Manipur government in the wake of the May 3 violence, said the militants could not be identified as belonging to Kuki SoO groups.

While there have been sporadic incidents of shooting, vandalism and arson over the past few weeks, particularly in the foothill areas where the Meitei-dominated Valley meets Kuki-Zomi-dominated hills, separate instances of firing upon civilians and clashes between militants and security forces were reported on Sunday. Two persons, including a policeman, were reported dead on Sunday; a PTI report said three more persons succumbed to their injuries on Monday.

While at least 1,000 weapons and 10,000 rounds of ammunition were reported to have been “looted” from armouries in Imphal by some Meitei groups in the initial days of the violence, 1,000 more weapons were allegedly “looted” by these groups on May 27-28.

Earlier, some Kuki groups were also alleged to have looted weapons from police stations in Churachandpur. Officials also indicated that some weapons were provided by Kuki groups that have signed the Suspension of Operation (SoO) agreement with the government.

The administration has recovered only about 500 weapons so far. “With tension rising, the groups are not ready to surrender their weapons anymore, and the administration does not want to use excessive force to retrieve them. Hopefully, after Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s visit and talks with both Kukis and Meiteis, the situation will improve,” said a Manipur officer.

According to sources, Shah is accompanied by Home Secretary Ajay Bhalla and other senior officials. He will be in the state till June 1. “The Home Minister will hold several rounds of security meetings to assess the situation and plan further steps to restore normalcy,” said a senior home ministry official.

“The (Meitei and Kuki) communities will be assured of safety and asked to lay down arms so that a conducive atmosphere can be prepared to resolve things through talks. The Kukis are already in talks with the government for a peace deal. They have been demanding some autonomy in their areas which will be considered,” said the official.

On Sunday, CM Singh had blamed Kuki militants for violence in the Valley, and said 40 Kuki “terrorists” had been killed so far. He had said the fight was between “armed Kuki militants who are supposedly under SoO”, and the security forces.

But, sources in the security establishment denied any operation to target Kuki militants specifically. They said armed miscreants belonging to both communities were engaged in skirmishes in the areas abutting the boundary between Meitei-dominated Imphal valley and tribal-dominated hill districts since May 3.

“Security forces have fired in response to these miscreants, including some militants, to quell the violence. There is no targeting of any particular community. Also, the deceased are from both communities. This has been going on for a while. Since there has been more violence in the past couple of days, there has been greater response from the security forces as well,” said a senior security establishment officer in Manipur.

“We are fighting militants who are fomenting violence. But I can’t say they belong to Kuki SoO groups. The issues involved here are very complex and the situation is tense. Security forces are trying their best to restore peace,” said Kuldiep Singh, security advisor.

But sources said some SoO groups are suspected to have provided direct or indirect support to Kukis in the wake of attacks from some Meitei groups.

“Since the May 3 violence, both the Meiteis and Kukis are feeling insecure. In the wake of continuing violence from either side, both communities are arming themselves to defend against attacks. SoO groups too are under pressure from the community as Kukis have been disproportionately targeted in the violence. This is leading to spiraling of clashes,” said a Manipur official.

The security establishment is also keeping an eye on the sudden rise of two Meitei groups — Arambai Tenggol and Meitei Leepun – which have been accused of targeting the Kukis. These are allegedly private militia groups comprising Meiteis. “They are involved in almost every other skirmish with the Kukis. They claim to be doing all this to defend their community against Kuki militants. But it needs to be handled carefully. We can’t have more militant groups rising in Manipur,” said an official.

Since the clashes first broke out, the two communities have separated geographically, with the Kukis leaving for the hills and Meiteis returning to the Valley. Sources said this has led to targeting of Kuki properties in Meitei-dominated areas, and vice versa.

This, according to sources, flared up a couple of days ago following an incident in Torbung village, in Churachandpur district, with the violence then spreading to Sugnu in Kaching district and further.