The World Meetei Council (WMC) on Saturday wrote a letter to the Prime Minister Narendra Modi, urging him to pay a visit to Manipur and asserted that the same could mark the beginning of a peaceful way forward.
The letter written by WMC chairman Heigrujam Nabashyam stated ‘Manipur continues to burn’, and alleged that the violence is persisting all under the able leadership of the Prime Minister. It exuded belief that the PM, by visiting the state and conveying his commitment to ending the unrest, can stop the violence and bring peace within 24 hours.
The Government of India can also abrogate the SoO Agreement and activate the Army, Assam Rifles, etc., to restore order, it stated. It further stated that the problem of Meetei armed youths defending their families against the migrant Chin-Kuki perpetrators, will be resolved once the perpetrators are controlled.
The letter also highlighted various key points stating that on June 17, the Union Home Minister mentioned, ‘Will talk to Meetei and Kuki to bridge the ethnic divide,’ more than a year and two months after the migrant Chin-Kuki terrorists-initiated violence on May 3, 2023.
Unfortunately, Chief Minister N Biren Singh allegedly appears to have been at a loss since the beginning of the violence, it noted. The chief minister has often spoken as a Meetei leader rather than as the chief minister, causing more harm to Manipur, particularly to the Meetei community, it added and lamented that the continued violence in Manipur has drastically deteriorated the state’s condition.
It further pointed out that there are reportedly over 50,000 central security forces, including the Army, Assam Rifles, and other paramilitary forces, in addition to the state’s armed police. However, despite identifying violence-prone zones, the central security forces remain allegedly ineffective, possibly due to the SoO arrangement between the Centre, state government, and the armed migrant Chin-Kukis, it stated.
Although the arrangement officially lapsed in February 2024, it appears to still be in effect, rendering the central forces as mere spectators, the letter mentioned. Manipur has descended into lawlessness, it alleged and claimed that it is worse than the Middle East. It also recalled Amit Shah’s 32-minute long speech in the Parliament on August 9, 2023 about Manipur where he allegedly failed to explain why the Army, Assam Rifles, etc., had to remain silent spectators.
If the forces had been active from the beginning, the violence could have been controlled, and Manipur would not be in its current state of turmoil, it mooted. It stated that a visit from the Prime Minister can bring peace within 24 hours, as the perpetrators of violence allegedly seem to have a good rapport with the Army and the Assam Rifles and reiterated its appeal to the PM to visit Manipur.
