NEW DELHI: Union home minister Amit Shah on Monday said the Centre would hold talks with both the Meiteis and the Kukis to bridge the ethnic divide in Manipur and restore peace and tranquility at the earliest. He made the statement at a high-level meeting to review the security situation there amidst reports of fresh incidents of trouble in the state.
Shah was given a detailed briefing on the situation by Security Advisor to the Manipur government Kuldiep Singh, DGP Rajiv Singh and Chief Secretary Vineet Joshi.
The home minister assured that the head count of Central Armed Police Forces would be increased if required and directed them to ensure their strategic deployment.
He also asked the officials to take strict legal action against those who indulge in violence, officials said.
As for those at relief camps, Shah directed Chief Secretary Vineet Joshi to ensure proper health and education facilities for the displaced people and their rehabilitation.
The home minister took stock of the situation a day after Manipur Governor Anusuiya Uikey called on him here. On June 10, RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat had expressed concern over peace eluding Manipur for over a year.
There were reports of fresh violence in capital Imphal and Jiribam recently, the officials said, adding that the Centre is worried over the violence spreading to new areas like Jiribam, which has been by and large peaceful in the past one year since the ethnic clashes erupted in May 2023, the sources said.
Union Home Secretary Ajay Bhalla, Director of Intelligence Bureau Tapan Deka, Army Chief Gen Manoj Pande, Army Chief-designate Lt Gen Upendra Dwivedi were present at the hour-long meeting. Ethnic violence broke out in Manipur on May 3, 2023 after a tribal solidarity march in the hill districts protesting against a high court order on Scheduled Tribe status to the Meiteis.