Manipur violence: Amit Shah meets civil society members in Imphal

Imphal (Manipur) [India], May 30 (ANI): Union Home Minister Amit Shah, who is on a visit to violence-hit Manipur, on Tuesday met with a delegation of different civil society organisations in Imphal.

Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh was also present during the meeting.

Shah on Monday arrived in Manipur on a four-day-long visit to the state, which has seen violence between ethnic communities.

He called on Governor Anusuiya Uikey. Shah also chaired a meeting with Chief Minister N Biren Singh, state ministers, senior leaders and officials here to assess the situation and plan further steps to restore normalcy in the region.

Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Nityanand Rai, Union Home Secretary Ajay Bhalla and Intelligence Bureau Chief Tapan Deka were among others present at the high-level meeting.

During his stay in Manipur till June 1, the Home Minister will hold several rounds of security meetings.

Five persons, including a Manipur Police Officer, were killed, a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA’s house was vandalised and over 1,000 arms and ammunition were reportedly looted by a mob from armouries of Manipur Rifles and India Reserve Battalion on Sunday.

Meanwhile, combined Central and state security forces gunned down more than 30 suspected Kuki terrorists in the State over the last 48 hours.

Manipur faced violence on May 3 during a rally organized by the All Tribals Students Union (ATSU) to protest the demand for the inclusion of Meitei/Meetei in the Scheduled Tribe (ST) category. The march was organised in protest against the demand for inclusion of the state’s Meitei community in the ST category, following an April 19 Manipur High Court directive.