Shah meets women leaders, prominent people in Manipur

IMPHAL: Union Home Minister Amit Shah, currently visiting Manipur, on Tuesday had consultations with various stake-holders which started with a breakfast meeting with a group of women leaders and a separate meeting with prominent personalities as part of his efforts to bring lasting peace in the violence-hit state.

He also held another meeting with a delegation of civil society organisations as part of his outreach and they expressed their commitment to peace and assured that they would work for restoring normalcy in Manipur.

''Held a meeting with a group of women leaders (Meira Paibi) in Manipur. Reiterated the significance of the role of women in the society of Manipur. Together, we are committed to ensuring peace and prosperity in the state,'' Shah tweeted.

In a separate tweet, Shah said ''Had a fruitful discussion with the members of the different Civil Society Organisations today in Imphal. They expressed their commitment to peace and assured that we would together contribute to paving the way to restore normalcy in Manipur.'' According to a home ministry spokesperson, in the meeting in Imphal this morning, prominent personalities assured their commitment to peace and also that they would work towards restoring peace in the state.

After his arrival in Imphal last night, Shah met Chief Minister N Biren Singh, some cabinet ministers, officials and a few political leaders.

Shah is on a four-day visit to Manipur during which he will hold several rounds of security meetings to assess situation and plan further steps to restore normalcy, sources said.

This is the first time the home minister is visiting the northeastern state since the ethnic clashes began in Manipur on May 3. The state witnessed a sudden spurt in clashes and firing between militants and security forces on Sunday, after a relative lull for over a fortnight.

The death toll from clashes has gone up to 80, officials said.

The ethnic violence first broke out after a 'Tribal Solidarity March' was organised in the hill districts on May 3 to protest the Meitei community's demand for Scheduled Tribe (ST) status.

The violence was preceded by tension over the eviction of Kuki villagers from reserve forest land, which had led to a series of smaller agitations.