Ten days after violence broke out in Manipur, Chief Minister N Biren Singh came to Delhi and met with Home Minister Amit Shah to brief him about the situation in the state, where ethnic violence broke out between the Meiteis and Kuki tribals.
BJP chief JP Nadda also attended the meeting at Shah’s home.
“The Chief Minister briefed the Home Minister about the ground situation in Manipur,” Manipur Health Minister Dr Sapam Ranjan Singh told NDTV.
He said the Chief Minister was accompanied by four of his cabinet ministers and Manipur BJP chief Sarada Devi.
Sources said Singh briefed Shah about the tribal MLAs’ demand for a “separate administration”.
“The situation is slowly limping back to normal, but this issue may deepen the divide between the Meiteis and the Kukis, and can trigger more clashes between the two communities,” a Home Ministry officer said, asking not to be named.
The officer said the Chief Minister has been asked to handle the matter carefully and take adequate precautions so that fresh clashes don’t break out.
The 10 MLAs, seven of them belonging to the BJP and two from the Kuki People’s Alliance, which is an ally of the BJP, issued a statement on Friday demanding a “separate administration” for Kukis.
Violent clashes broke out in Manipur after a “tribal solidarity march” was held in the 10 hill districts on May 3 in protest against Meiteis’ demand for Scheduled Tribes (ST) status.
The clashes were preceded by tension over the eviction of Kuki villagers from reserve forest land, which led to a series of smaller agitations.
Meiteis account for 53 per cent of Manipur’s population and live mostly in and around Imphal valley. Tribals – Nagas, Kukis and others – constitute another 40 per cent of the population and live in the hill districts.
The Chief Minister on Monday said 60 people have been killed in the violence.
With inputs from NDTV
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