All out efforts to bring back peace in restive Manipur

NEW DELHI: All-out efforts have been made by the Centre to bring back normalcy in Manipur through a number of initiatives that include enhanced area domination in fringe areas and higher reaches by security forces, mobilisation of additional troops and close monitoring by senior officials, sources said Friday.

The Union home ministry has also rushed Director General of CRPF S L Thaosen to Manipur to assess the situation and for better utilisation and coordination of central forces, the sources privy to the development said.

The central government's urgency to check continuous violence in Manipur comes after the killing of nine youths in a single incident and torching of the private residence of Union minister Rajkumar Ranjan Singh, they said.

At present, around 30,000 central security personnel are deployed in Manipur for law-and-order duties besides state police forces.

The forces include around eight battalions of central paramilitary forces, 80 columns of the Army and 67 columns of the Assam Rifles.

Army's Dimapur-based 3 Corps said enhanced area domination operations by Army and Assam Rifles are being undertaken in the aftermath of recent spurt in violence.

The domination of fringe areas and higher reaches underway by long duration self contained columns, it said.

The sources said the central government is regularly sending additional forces whenever there is a demand from the state administration.

While the CRPF DG CRPF met Governor Anusuiya Uikey this evening and apprised her of the present turmoil, he has also held closed-door meetings with local commanders so that further coordination among security forces could be ensured for effective results.

Top functionaries of the central government are also closely monitoring the situation and giving regular directions so that the normalcy is brought back as early as possible.

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 Tribe (ST) status.

So far, nearly 120 people lost their lives and over 3,000 injured ever since the ethnic violence broke.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah has also visited the state for four days last last month and met a cross sections of people in his efforts to bring back peace in the Northeastern state.

On June 4, the Centre set up a Commission of Inquiry, headed by former Gauhati High Court chief justice Ajai Lamba, to probe the violence in Manipur.

The home ministry said the commission will make inquiry with respect of the causes and spread of the violence and riots targeting members of different communities, which took place in Manipur on May 3 and thereafter.

On June 10, the central government constituted a peace committee in the state headed by the governor for facilitating peace making process among various ethnic groups and initiate dialogue between conflicting parties and groups.

However, office bearers of several civil society groups have refused to be part of the committee for different reasons.

The Centre has also approved Rs 101.75 crore relief package for the displaced people in violence-hit Manipur following a directive of Home Minister Shah.