■ IMPHAL,
“Dialogue is the only solution to the ongoing crisis in Manipur,” says Shah
UNION Home Minister Amit
Shah on Thursday said a judicial probe headed by a retired
High Court Chief Justice to
inquire into clashes which
erupted in the northeastern
State of Manipur, will soon be
announced.
At a press conference held
here on Thursday, he also
announced that a peace committee under the Governor of
Manipur Anusuiya Uikey
which will have representatives
of all political parties, besidesrepresentatives from both Kuki
and Meitei communities andsocial organisations will be set
up. “Dialogue is the only solution to the ongoing crisis inManipur,” Shah said.
“We will soon announce ajudicial probe headed by aretired High Court Chief Justiceand set up a peace committee,”he said.
The Home Ministeralso announced a CBI probe toinvestigate FIRs alleging fivecriminal conspiracies and one general conspiracy behind the violence in Manipur.
He,however,alsosaid,“Violencewas
a temporary phase, misunderstandings will go away ... The situation will
soon be normal.”
Shah said he had visited relief
camps, met both Kuki and Meitei civil groups, and discussed the peace
process.
The leaders of both the warring
Meitei and Kuki communities, as well
as other civil society representatives
who have met him, have assured him
that they would work to assuage hurt
feelings and remove misunderstandings, Shah said.
The Home Minister said an Inter Agency Unified Command will also be
formed for “better coordination”
among all security agencies in
Manipur as multiple forces are working on the ground. Currently some
10,000 Army and Assam rifles personnel have been brought into the
State to keep the peace. Besides,
central police forces and State police
is also functioning on the ground. It
was felt that anunifiedcomm and was
necessary to avoid confusion.
“One joint secretary-level officer
from the Home Ministry and five director-levelofficersfromdifferentdepartments will be posted here,” he added.
Shahalso toldnewspersons thathe
felt for a permanent solution to the
Indo-Myanmarborderissue,thefencing on the border between the two
countries will need to be completed.
There are apprehensions that the
porous border is being used for drug
smuggling and for movement of militants.
He said biometrics of people coming from neighbouring countries are
also being collected. A large number
of refugees from the violence in
Myanmar have also taken refuge in
the border state and the central governmenthasbeentryingtokeeptrack
of this population.
Talkingabouttheoriginoftheclasheswhich rockedManipur, he said ethnic rioting began after the Manipur
High Court on April 29 “hurriedly”
sought the views of the State
Government on granting Scheduled
Tribe status to a community