IMPHAL/MOREH, May 31: Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Wednesday visited the India-Myanmar border town of Moreh in Manipur and met Kuki civil society groups, besides reviewing security measures in place.
Shah, who flew into Imphal on Monday night, also visited Kangpokpi district in the afternoon, and met various groups there as well, officials said.
“Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation, Shri @AmitShah met with a Kuki delegation in Moreh, Manipur, today,” Union Home Ministry Spokesperson tweeted.
He also met with the representatives of different communities including the handful of Tamil traders who live in Moreh, the official said in a separate post on the microblogging site.
“Held a meeting with the delegations of Kuki and other communities at Moreh. They expressed strong support for the government’s initiatives to restore normalcy in Manipur,” Shah said.
Shah also held a security review meeting at Moreh in Tengnoupal district with the officials from various central and state forces, he added. “Took stock of the security situation with senior officials in Moreh (Manipur),” Shah tweeted. He was accompanied by Home Secretary Ajay Kumar Bhalla and Director of the Intelligence Bureau Tapan Kumar Deka on the trip.
Chief Minister N Biren Singh however was not present at these meetings.
As part of his mission to broker a lasting peace in the troubled state, Shah met a cross-section of Kuki and Meitei leaders on Tuesday, besides top security officers to seek a solution to the spate of ethnic clashes that have rocked the state. He also held an all-party meeting in the evening.
Ethnic clashes broke out in the state nearly a month ago after a ‘Tribal Solidarity March’ was organised in the hill districts to protest the Meitei community’s demand for Scheduled Tribe (ST) status.
After a relative lull for over a fortnight, the state witnessed a sudden spurt in clashes, and gunfight between militants and security forces on Sunday.
So far, over 80 people have been killed in the violence, according to officials. (PTI)