GUWAHATI: Amid sporadic incidents of violence, Army Chief General Manoj Pande arrived in the strife-torn Manipur on Saturday on a two-day visit to take stock of the situation and formulate strategies to restore peace.
Official sources said the army chief would visit various locations, interact with local formation commanders and obtain a first-hand account of the situation.
He was scheduled to meet Governor Anusuiya Uikey, Chief Minister N Biren Singh and the state’s chief security advisor Kuldiep Singh and deliberate on the current situation and future trajectory in order to restore normalcy.
Union home minister Amit Shah will visit the state for three days beginning on May 29. His deputy, Nityanand Rai, who is in the state, met the leaders of various civil society organisations.
The Army and the Assam Rifles stepped up operations to track down militants suspected to be involved in the violence.
Defence sources said the personnel prevented firing incidents between two communities in Imphal East and Churachandpur districts on Friday night. The armed miscreants had fired and ran towards higher reaches.
“Owing to the internal security situation, the state administration had requisitioned Army and Assam Rifles on May 3. As an immediate response, Army and Assam Rifles deployed 135 columns to defuse the situation by carrying out active domination of sensitive and fringe areas,” a defence statement said.
“…Army and Assam Rifles launched large-scale combing operations in vulnerable flash points as also the higher reaches surrounding Imphal Valley in the wee hours of May 27 to track down any armed insurgents operating in these areas,” the statement added.
Stating that these operations are part of overall ongoing efforts to restore peace and normalcy, the statement said the army columns were using the latest weapons, equipment and other force multipliers while operating in the forested mountainous areas.
The opposition Congress, which has sought an appointment with President Droupadi Murmu, criticised the central government for its alleged apathy towards Manipur.
Congress veteran and former Chief Minister Okram Ibobi Singh said if Prime Minister Narendra Modi was preoccupied with other official works, he could have sent a representative to the state soon after the violence broke out on May 3.
“It has been nearly a month since the violence broke out but the Prime Minister and the Home Minister have not visited Manipur so far,” Singh lamented.
Amid the turmoil, thousands of people hit the streets in Kakching on Saturday, demanding immediate restoration of normalcy while eminent theatre personality Dr Ratan Thiyam appealed to religious leaders in the state to take a proactive role in restoring peace and stability.
“Considering the grave situation, all religious leaders should try to find out a means to restore peace. I urge them to help the government in bringing both parties of the conflict to the negotiating table,” Thiyam said.
He asked the Centre to show its commitment and empathy during this time of crisis.