Manipur CM demands handover of unified command amid escalated violence
Manipur chief minister N. Biren Singh met Governor Laxman Prasad Acharya along with the ruling party MLAs and submitted a memorandum to him
Manipur chief minister N. Biren Singh, along with the ruling party MLAs, including his Cabinet colleagues and the Assembly Speaker, submitted a memorandum to Governor Laxman Prasad Acharya on Sunday, demanding that the unified command of the state government be handed over to the chief minister.
Biren and his MLAs took this step following escalated violence in Manipur over the past few days.
A press statement issued from the Raj Bhavan Secretariat mentioned that CM N. Biren Singh, along with the Speaker, council of ministers, and ruling MLAs, submitted a memorandum to Governor Laxman Prasad Acharya.
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A person familiar with the matter, who did not wish to disclose their identity, said that besides requesting the handover of the Unified Command of Manipur to CM N. Biren Singh, the memorandum also demanded the abrogation of the Suspension of Operations with Kuki militants.
The memorandum, which has not yet been made public, reportedly includes several other demands from the state government and civil society organisations (CSOs) of Manipur since the violence erupted. These demands include the implementation of the National Register of Citizens (NRC) with the base year 1961 to identify illegal immigrants, the protection of Manipur’s territorial boundaries, opposition to separate administration, and others.
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During the meeting, the CM’s convoy urged the governor to press the Centre for peace restoration in Manipur.
A photograph of the meeting showed the chief minister, six ministers and 14 MLAs, including Assembly Speaker Satyabrata. However, officials familiar with the matter said altogether they were 29, including the CM and the Speaker.
After six people were killed in the border district of Jiribam, a gunfight restarted on Sunday morning at Mongbung-Seijang village between combined security forces and Kuki militants.
Police officials familiar with the matter said that Kuki militants attacked Meitei residences at Mongbung, about 18 km southeast of the Jiribam Police Station. At around 4.30am on Sunday, Kuki militants attacked the Meitei village. Village volunteers defending the Meitei residences retaliated.
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Upon receiving the information, the district police, along with central forces, rushed to the area. The combined team exchanged fire with the Kuki militants, which continued until around 7am.
Later, at around 4.30pm the same day, the gunfight resumed between combined security forces and Kuki militants, and by 5.30pm, the gunfight was reportedly still ongoing.
No casualties have been reported so far.
On Saturday, a heavy gunfight occurred after a man was attacked at his residence in Nungchapi, about 6 km east of Jiribam Police Station. In the exchange of fire, five armed miscreants were killed.
Meanwhile, the Coordinating Committee on Manipur Integrity (COCOMI), an apex body of civil society organisations, temporarily suspended the indefinite ‘public emergency’ imposed across the state since Friday.
Besides, the Directorate of Education-School, Manipur, issued an order on Sunday stating that all schools of the state, including government schools, aided schools, private, and central schools shall remain closed for another two days till Tuesday.
The decision to close the schools was taken after the continuous drone and long-distance rocket attacks towards Meitei villages by Kuki militants.
A press statement issued on Sunday mentioned that the emergency was declared as a preventive measure against Narco-Terrorist attacks, which included drone and long-range rocket attacks.
The public emergency was suspended following advice from various sections, considering the impact on students’ careers and the struggles of daily bread earners.