Amid backlash, Manipur CM makes fresh appeal for peace
An uneasy calm returned to Manipur after a fresh eruption of clashes on Wednesday, but not without sporadic outbursts of violence, including firing in some parts of Imphal and Churachandpur.
A day after Union home minister Amit Shah said that talks between ethnic groups and the government were the only way to restore peace to violence-torn Manipur and that he would soon travel to the state to hold negotiations, under fire chief minister Biren Singh reiterated his appeal for calm on Friday but continued to face criticism from crucial stakeholders who said they would meet Shah but not Singh.
This came even as an uneasy calm returned to Manipur after a fresh eruption of clashes on Wednesday, but not without sporadic outbursts of violence, including firing in some parts of Imphal and Churachandpur and an attempt to ransack the home of minister of state for external affairs RK Ranjan Singh that was foiled by security agencies.
For more than three weeks, Manipur has been in the throes of ethnic violence between Meiteis, a community that constitutes 53% of the population, and tribal groups such as the Kukis after a high court order that recommended to the government that the former be categorised as a scheduled tribe. Most of the violence that spread across the state took place between May 3 and 6, with 73 people dead, more than 200 injured, over a thousand houses burnt, and nearly 30,000 displaced, and several people taking shelter in neighbouring states. But even beyond those three days, intermittent incidents have continued to fester even as the army and paramilitary forces have attempted to control the situation, with one person killed and another injured in Bishnupur district on Wednesday.
Addressing a press conference on Friday, Singh said, “I would like to appeal to the people of the state that all together, we can bring peace once again in the state of Manipur. I appeal to all the people of the state to take measures so that we can peacefully co-exist.”
Singh said that the army continued to be in operation, and more than 34,000 paramilitary forces had been deployed in 38 vulnerable areas of the state. But in a sign that anger continues to simmer, the army said it has been successful in foiling incidents of firing in Imphal East and Churachandpur during the day.
“Armed miscreants fired and ran towards higher reaches. No casualties,” a brief statement issued by an army spokesperson said.
Even as stakeholders began preparations for the proposed visit ofShah, scheduled for May 29, tribal leaders said that they would not meet chief minister Singh, a Meitei. Lamtingthang Haokip, a spokesperson of the Indigenous Tribal Leaders Forum (ITLF), an apex body representing the tribal groups of Manipur, said, “We are willing to meet the Union home minister but we want to make it very clear that we will not have any discussion with chief minister N Biren Singh or any Meitei organisation.”
Haokip said their expectations from the meeting with Shah were tempered by failed promises, and that the only clear solution was a separate administrative system for Manipur’s hilly areas that are dominated by Kukis. He said promises made in 2017, 2019 and 2022 had not been kept, which is why they were compelled to raise the demand for a separate administrative system.
In Guwahati on Thursday, 13 Manipur legislators from across parties had met Shah and apprised him of the situation. Awangbow, an NPF legislator, who was part of the meeting, said that Shah had assured them of all possible efforts to restore normalcy. But Letzamang Haokip, a BJP MLA from Henglep, alleged that Union minister of state for home affairs Nityanand Rai, who has been in Imphal since Thursday, did not meet tribal leaders on Friday. Haokip said, “The Union minister of state for home affairs is here but he did not have time to meet the tribal leaders. He has promised to visit Churachandpur tomorrow. We will be happy to meet Shah as long as he is alone. Nobody will meet N Biren Singh or those backing him,” Haokip said.