A day after the central government constituted a peace committee headed by Manipur governor Anusuiya Uikey to facilitate peacemaking process among warring ethnic groups in the northeastern state, a prominent Kuki organisation on Sunday said normalcy should first be restored and security ensured for the community.
The Indigenous Tribal Leaders Forum (ITLF), a collective of Kuki groups in Churachandpur district, said in a statement, “ITLF strongly reiterates the need for normalcy to prevail before the constitution of any peace committee in the region." They further demanded the immediate imposition of President’s rule in the border state.
The members of the peace committee include Chief Minister, a few ministers in the state government, MP, MLAs and leaders from different political parties. The committee also includes former civil servants, educationists, litterateurs, artists, social workers and representatives of different ethnic groups, said MHA in a press release, on Saturday.
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The MHA also said that the committee will have “representatives of different ethnic groups” but no further details were given regarding its composition.
The move comes as Manipur continues to be in the grips of widespread violence for several days since last month. Nearly 100 people died and 300 were injured in the violence, which also led to the displacement of 37,450 people who were housed in 272 relief camps, according to a statement from the Manipur Chief Minister's Office (CMO) on June 2.
The statement also said that 4,014 cases of arson have been reported since the violence broke out in the state on May 33,734 cases have been registered and 65 people have been arrested.
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Condemning the inclusion of CM N Biren Singh in the committee, the ITLF said, "ITLF strongly condemns the inclusion of CM N Biren Singh, the very perpetrator of the current violence, in the peace committee."
Earlier, the Centre also set up a three-member panel headed by a retired judge to investigate the Manipur violence. It will be headed by former Gauhati High Court Chief Justice Ajai Lamba and will also include retired IAS officer Himanshu Shekhar Das and retired IPS officer Aloka Prabhakar. The panel will submit its report within six months.
(With inputs from PTI)
