 "Centre rushes 5K troops to 'volatile' Manipur; internet suspension extended")
The Centre on Monday said it was sending 5,000 paramilitary troops to Manipur to assist the state government in handling the “volatile” situation in the state.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah reviewed the prevailing security situation and the deployment of troops in Manipur for the second consecutive day and directed top officials to focus on restoring peace and order as early as possible, sources said. The Manipur government on Monday also extended the suspension of internet services by two more days until Wednesday in seven districts.
The Opposition Congress demanded that Prime Minister Narendra Modi visit the state, and sought Shah’s resignation for the Centre’s failure to restore peace. Congress general secretary in-charge of communications, Jairam Ramesh, said the PM must first meet an all-party delegation from Manipur and then call an all-party meeting at the national level ahead of Parliament’s winter session starting November 25.
Curfew was imposed for an indefinite period in Imphal East and West, Bishnupur, Thoubal, and Kakching districts of Imphal Valley on November 16. According to a PTI report from Imphal, defying curfew orders, a group of people led by members of the Coordinating Committee on Manipur Integrity (COCOMI) COCOMI on Monday locked the front doors of several government offices in Imphal West district to protest the recent killings, officials said. The COCOMI is an influential organisation of the Meitei community, the majority ethnic group in the Imphal Valley region.
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A day after withdrawing support to the N Biren Singh-led government, Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad Sangma said his party, the National People’s Party (NPP), could reconsider supporting the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) regime in Manipur if there was a change in leadership. The NPP, with seven legislators, is the second-largest party in the 60-member House.
“We have made it clear that our withdrawal of support was specific to him, the individual (N Biren Singh). If we see a change in leadership and a positive step forward to resolve the conflict, we can constructively cooperate and contribute to ensuring that peace and normalcy return in Manipur,” the Meghalaya CM said on Monday.
He said his party, the NPP, would be willing to work with the BJP again if the ruling party in the state made efforts to end the clashes between the Meitei and Kuki-Zo communities. The clashes, which started in May 2023, have claimed at least 260 lives and displaced 60,000 people.
However, there is no threat to the stability of the government since the BJP has 32 MLAs in a House of 60, one more than the majority mark. But seven of the BJP legislators, who belong to the Kuki-Zo community, have kept away from Imphal, the state capital, since the ethnic conflict erupted in May 2023. The Naga People’s Front (NPF), whose members are part of the government, has five MLAs. The Janata Dal (United), which has six MLAs, and three Independents provide outside support to the government. In a related development, the Manipur CM convened a meeting with ministers and MLAs of the ruling National Democratic Alliance.
In a statement, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh has condemned the latest violence in Manipur and demanded the government, both at the Centre and the state, that they "sincerely" resolve the conflict.