In order to establish connectivity with the rest of the country and also to mitigate the fear of tribal groups who refused to travel to Imphal Airport, fearing their safety, the Centre has decided to operationalise its air services in the hilly areas and districts of Manipur.
According to a statement from the Ministry of Home Affairs, Union Home Minister Amit Shah has declared and assured that all supplies related to food, medicine and essential items will be delivered by helicopter services in Churachandpur, Moreh, and Kangpokpi.
On May 31, 2023, Union Home Minister Amit Shah visited Kangpokpi and Moreh near the Indo-Myanmar border, where he met civil society groups and reviewed the security situation in the area.
On the third day of his visit, he visited Kangpokpi and Imphal, housing the Kuki and Meitei communities that were displaced by the ethnic violence that erupted on May 3, 2023.
In a tweet, the Minister said- “Convened a meeting with civil society organisations in Kangpokpi, Manipur. They are keen to actively participate with the government in reviving harmony among communities in Manipur.”
According to the Thangboi-Lhungdim of the Kuki Students Organisation in Moreh, Amit Shah assured them of helicopter services plying from Churachandpur to Aizawl and Guwahati in the neighbouring states of Mizoram and Assam.
As the minister held meetings, seven villages and houses were torched. Muan Tombing, the general secretary of the Indigenous Tribal Leader Forum (ITLF), said. Since May 26, 2023, days before Mr Shah arrived in Imphal and on May 29, 2023, more than 900 homes in 31 villages in the hill districts of Chandel, Kangpokpi and Churachandpur were burnt down, and 4750 people were displaced, said ITLF.
“Even as the Home Minister was visiting, several houses were burnt down. When we told him about these incidents, the Home Minister said it was a chain reaction from both sides and called to maintain peace for a fortnight.” Lhungdim said.
The groups reiterated their demand for President Rule and a separate administration for tribal areas of Manipur. The Kukis groups in Moreh also demanded the removal of Manipur police commandoes from the site and accused them of attacking the minorities.
Tombing said several students and officials posted with the Central government are stuck in the hills. “The distance between Imphal and Churachandpur by road is 400km. That is the primary reason we demand helicopters. We cannot go to the Imphal Airport. One Kuki MLA who went to attend a meeting in Imphal after the May 23, 2023 violence (ICU)-Intensive Care Unit.”
The State Director General of Police, P. Doungel, accompanied Shah to visit these hill areas. He hails from the Kuki Community and was absent in the security review meeting held in Imphal in the presence of Manipur CM N. Biren Singh. The minister was briefed by retired IPS officer Kuldeep Singh, the Manipur government advisor, after the May 3, 2023 violence.
The CM did not accompany Amit Shah to the tribal districts. The tribal groups and ten Kuki legislators, including seven from the BJP (Bhartiya Janata Party), have demanded his resignation.
On June 1, 2023, Dharmendra Pradhan, the Minister of Education, will visit Manipur to assess the situation as several students from hilly areas who were enrolled in Central Universities in Imphal left the city and cannot resume classes. Since May 3, 2023, the clashes between the two communities over a move to grant a Scheduled Tribe Status to the Meities have claimed 75 lives and displaced 35,000 people.
In Tengnoupal District, Amit Shah had a meeting with the delegations of Kukis and other tribes in Moreh, a trade hub on the Indo-Myanmar border with a mixed population of Tamil, Nepali, Bihari, Rajasthani, Bengali, and Punjabi communities. At Moreh and Kangpokpi, he was accompanied by Home Secretary A.K Bhalla and IB Chief Tapan Kumar Deka, among others.
Hundreds of people holding the national flag greeted Amit Shah at these two places. They accused the Meitei radical groups, Arambai Tenggol and Meitei Leepun, of perpetrating the violence and demanded that they will be outlawed.
A civilian was injured in an exchange of fire between the security forces and suspected extremists in Imphal’s East District. A gunfight was also reported from Sugnu in the Kakching district on May 30, 2023.
Meanwhile, Manipur CM urged people not to violate curfew restrictions and block roads affecting the free movement of security personnel and material for relief camps. “Such roadblocks are increasing the hardship of our already traumatised people in relief camps, including pregnant women and young children, by halting the movement of medicine, food, milk and water,” Biren Singh said.
“Such roadblocks make it extremely difficult for security forces and police personnel to respond to attacks by armed groups on time,” he added.
The CM also appealed for the immediate return and surrender of arms and ammunition snatched from armed police battalions and police stations in the Imphal Valley and hill districts. “Legal Action as per the Arms Act 1959 will be taken, and if any person is involved in unauthorised and illegal possession of arms and ammunition during combing operations by security personnel, will be arrested or otherwise,” he warned.
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