Manipur: Push for peace as Centre forms panel under Guv
The members of the peace committee include the Chief Minister, ministers, MPs, MLAs, and leaders from different political parties and civil society groups, it said.
A BJP MLA has set up a dropbox for people to anonymously return arms snatched from the security forces
NEW DELHI: The Centre has constituted a committee in Manipur headed by the Governor to facilitate the peace-making process among various ethnic groups and initiate dialogue between conflicting parties, the Union home ministry said Saturday.
The members of the peace committee include the Chief Minister, ministers, MPs, MLAs, and leaders from different political parties and civil society groups, it said.
The latest development came days after Union Home Minister Amit Shah had announced to constitute Peace Committee during his visit to Manipur to take stock of the situation in the aftermath of violence in the Northeastern state.
The mandate of the committee will be to facilitate the peace-making process among various ethnic groups of the State, and initiate peaceful dialogue and negotiations between conflicting parties and groups, it said. The committee will strengthen social cohesiveness, mutual understanding and facilitate cordial communication between various ethnic groups, the statement said.
It also includes former civil servants, educationists, litterateurs, artists, social workers and representatives of different ethnic groups, the home ministry said.
Violent clashes broke out in Manipur after a ‘Tribal Solidarity March’ was organised in the hill districts on May 3 to protest against the Meitei community’s demand for Scheduled Tribes (ST) status.
So far, nearly 100 people lost their lives and over 300 injured ever since the ethnic violence broke out over a month ago.
The opposition Congress has been blaming the BJP government in Manipur over the current situation in the State.
The party had said, “The current ‘crisis’ in Manipur is the result of the ‘divisive politics’ of BJP in the state. It is also the result of the intelligence failure of the state government.”
Meanwhile, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Saturday called on his Manipur counterpart N Biren Singh here and said he will report to Union Home Minister Amit Shah about the situation in the trouble-torn State.