Shah calls for peace, will visit Manipur next week

Union home minister Amit Shah on Thursday called for peace in violence-torn Manipur and said he will visit the northeastern state next week to hold talks with all stakeholders the first major public intervention by the Centre since ethnic clashes broke out three weeks ago, killing 74 people and displacing another 30,000.

- Utpal Parashar

Speaking at an event in neighbouring Assam, Shah said only talks between various groups can bring calm. His comments came a day after fresh bouts of violence roiled a district in Manipur that had previously been relatively unscathed by the clashes that convulsed the state from May 3.

"I will go to Manipur soon and stay there for three days but before that, both groups should remove mistrust and suspicion among themselves and ensure that peace is restored in the state," he said.

Union minister of state (home) Nityanand Rai, who arrived in Imphal on Thursday, told reporters that Shah will reach Manipur on May 29 to take stock of the situation and stay till June 1.

"The Centre will ensure that justice is delivered to all those who suffered in the clashes in the state, but people must hold dialogue to ensure peace....in the last six years, prior to the recent clashes, there was no blockade or bandhs in Manipur and people must ensure the return of such a situation again," Shah said. "Charcha ke saath hi shanti ho sakti hain (Peace can only be restored through dialogue)," he added.

This is the first announcement of a high-level intervention by the Centre in Manipur since May 3, when clashes broke out in Churachandpur town after tribal Kuki groups called for protests against a proposed tweak to the state's reservation matrix, granting scheduled tribe (ST) status to the majority Meitei community.

Violence quickly engulfed the state, displacing tens of thousands of people who fled burning homes and neighbourhoods into jungles, often across state borders. To be sure, the Indian Army has been deployed in the region since May 4.