E-Paper
Manipur CM chairs meetings, seeks help of women groups
Manipur chief minister N Biren Singh and security advisor Kuldiep Singh on Tuesday held two separate meetings with representatives of Meira Paibi (women’s group) and the Coordinating Committee on Manipur Integrity.
Manipur chief minister N Biren Singh and security advisor Kuldiep Singh on Tuesday held two separate meetings with representatives of Meira Paibi (women’s group) and the Coordinating Committee on Manipur Integrity (COCOMI).
This came a day after Prime Minister Narendra Modi chaired a meeting with home minister Amit Shah and other senior ministers during which he was briefed about the steps taken in Manipur to restore normalcy in the state. The meeting with women representatives is crucial and relevant in the backdrop of several cases of protest led by women in different parts of the state.
The Army had on Monday night tweeted that mobs led by women in Manipur were deliberately blocking routes and interfering in the operations of security forces. The army also released a two-minute 12-second video that put together purported visuals from a number of operations and levelled four serious allegations – that women protesters were helping rioters flee, interfering in operations during the day or at night, interfering in the movement of logistics, and digging up the entry points to the Assam Rifles camp to cause delays.
Officials aware of meetings said the first meeting was with Meira Paibi representatives and the second was with the COCOMI.
A COCOMI spokesperson confirmed that their senior women representatives and consultative committee met the chief minister and other top officers. “Our women leaders told them why some groups are protesting. The women, who have come out on the streets do not have confidence in the security forces. The security advisor and chief minister told us the steps that they are taking as part of confidence-building measures and the security arrangements.”
Meanwhile, police and security officials in Manipur are analysing the deployment pattern of the nearly 500 women personnel from paramilitary forces currently posted in the state and also assessing if there is a need for more women battalions in the state.
During a meeting of top police officers, senior officials from paramilitary forces on Tuesday along with the state security advisor, Kuldiep Singh, the issue of deployment of women personnel or the need to get more was taken up.
One officer, aware of the details of the meeting, said, “The topic was discussed because of the media reports and from security agencies that mobs led by women are blocking roads. While some officers suggested getting more battalions, the idea was dropped for now because the women protesters are not armed.”
The official added that the current strength of women personnel will be posted according to the need and reports by security forces.
“The women officers will be posted in and near buffer zones in places where there is a mixed population of both tribals and non-tribals. The vulnerable areas have already been marked, where additional personnel of paramilitary forces will be sent,” said an official aware of the details of Tuesday’s meetings.
HT contacted Manipur DGP Rajiv Singh, but the officer was not available to comment.
A second officer present in the meeting said that police across districts have been directed to take help of elected representatives to ensure that roads are not blocked by mobs.
“Within the next two days, we will see reduction the number of blockades. We are hopeful. The elected representatives have been advised to speak to the locals and ensure that mobs do not block roads or case hindrance in the operation,” said the officer.
At least 115 people have died in the clashes that first broke out on May 3 in Churachandpur town after tribal Kuki groups called for protests against a court-proposed tweak to the state’s reservation matrix, granting scheduled tribe (ST) status to the majority Meitei community. Violence quickly engulfed the state where ethnic fault lines run deep, displacing tens of thousands of people who fled burning homes and neighbourhoods into jungles, often across state borders. The authorities clamped a curfew and suspended internet services, pumping in additional security forces to force a break in the spiralling clashes.
To be sure, no fatalities have been reported from the state since June 13, with the authorities maintaining that the law and order situation is much better in the state.
