Assam's Himanta Biswa Sarma Meets Rebel Groups Over Manipur Violence

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma held a closed-door meeting with some Kuki tribal leaders and rebel groups under Suspension Of Operations in Guwahati last night, sources close to the Chief Minister said.

The closed-door meeting in Assam's Guwahati is part of the government's efforts to resolve the Manipur crisis at the earliest.

Leaders of the Kuki National Organisation (KNO) and the United People's Front (UPF) met Mr Sarma and discussed the prevailing situation in Manipur, which is witnessing violence since last month, sources said.

The KNO and UPF are umbrella bodies of different Kuki militant groups under Suspension Of Operation (SOO) with the Centre and the Manipur government.

KNO spokesperson Seilen Haokip said, "We are positive and heading in the right direction. We discussed a ceasefire and an end to any kind of offensive from both sides."

"We are hopeful that home minister Amit Shah and Assam Chief Minister will take positive steps to resolve the crisis," Mr Haokip said.

There have been allegations from different sides that the Kuki militants were involved in the recent series of violence in Manipur.

A source close to the Assam Chief Minister is likely to visit Manipur's tribal-dominated districts; Kangpokpi and Churachandpur, for talks with civil society organisations and influential tribal leaders.

Himanta Biswa Sarma visited Manipur on June 10 and held a series of meetings with his Manipur counterpart N Biren Singh in the capital Imphal. Several ministers, MLAs and organisations, including the Coordinating Committee on Manipur Integrity (COCOMI), were part of the meeting over the violence in Manipur in which over 105 people have died, and over 300 have been injured.

Assam's Chief Minister carried a message from Delhi to find a solution to end the violence by involving all stakeholders, a source said.