Imphal: In a significant step towards resolving the prolonged ethnic conflict in Manipur, the central government convened a meeting today, April 5th, with representatives from both the Meitei and Kuki communities.
This initiative underscores the government’s commitment to finding a lasting peace in the state that has been grappling with strife since May 2023.
Sources familiar with the development indicated that the primary objective of the meeting was to foster greater understanding and collaboration between the two communities, ultimately paving the way for the restoration of peace and normalcy in Manipur.
Discussions during the session reportedly emphasized the critical need to maintain law and order and to actively promote reconciliation between the Meitei and Kuki populations.
The meeting witnessed the participation of a six-member delegation representing the Meitei community, which included members from the All Manipur United Clubs’ Organisation and the Federation of Civil Society Organisations.
The Kuki community was represented by a delegation comprising approximately nine individuals. Facilitating the discussions on behalf of the central government were interlocutors, including A K Mishra, a retired special director of the Intelligence Bureau.
This engagement follows remarks made by Union Home Minister Amit Shah during a Lok Sabha debate on Thursday, where he affirmed that the Ministry of Home Affairs had previously engaged in discussions with representatives from both the Meitei and Kuki communities, holding separate meetings with various organizations from each group.
During the Lok Sabha debate, Home Minister Amit Shah had also stated the Ministry of Home Affairs’ intention to convene a joint meeting soon. He emphasized that while the government is actively working towards finding a resolution to the ongoing violence, the immediate priority remains the establishment of peace in the region. Shah acknowledged that while the situation in Manipur is largely under control, with no reported deaths in the preceding four months, the displacement of people and their continued stay in relief camps indicates that the situation cannot yet be considered satisfactory.
President’s rule was imposed in Manipur on February 13th, following the resignation of the then Chief Minister N Biren Singh on February 9th. The state assembly, with its term extending until 2027, is currently under suspended animation.
The ethnic violence between the Meitei community, predominantly residing in the Imphal valley, and the Kuki community, based in the neighboring hills, has tragically claimed the lives of approximately 260 people since it erupted in May 2023. During the initial phase of the conflict, a significant number of arms were looted from various police stations across Manipur.
Ajay Kumar Bhalla, who assumed the role of governor on January 3rd, has been actively engaging with a wide spectrum of individuals and gathering feedback on strategies to restore normalcy in the state. Bhalla, a former Union home secretary who worked closely with Home Minister Shah for five years, is widely understood to have been specifically tasked with the crucial responsibility of bringing peace back to the troubled state.
Since the imposition of President’s rule, the governor has initiated several measures aimed at restoring peace and normalcy, including appealing for the surrender of looted arms. While the central government has also made efforts to reopen the state’s roads for unrestricted traffic, these attempts have faced obstacles due to opposition from the Kuki community.
Currently, travel between areas dominated by Meiteis and Kukis remains strictly prohibited for members of the opposing community, with Kukis largely relying on routes through Mizoram for external travel, and Meiteis avoiding the Kuki-dominated hill regions.
The outbreak of violence in Manipur was triggered by a ‘Tribal Solidarity March’ organized in the hill districts to protest against a directive from the Manipur High Court concerning the Meitei community’s demand for Scheduled Tribe status.
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