This Article is From May 25, 2023

Amit Shah To Visit Violence-Hit Manipur, Says "Should Maintain Peace"

Manipur Violence: Manipur has been on the boil after an explosion of interethnic violence this month killed dozens of people and left tens of thousands displaced.

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India News
Guwahati:

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Thursday appealed for peace in Manipur and said he would visit the northeastern state soon and talk to people of both communities involved in the violence.

"Amit Shah will take stock of the prevailing situation in Manipur and will stay on from May 29 to June 1," Nityanand Rai, Minister of State Home Affairs in Imphal said.

"There were clashes in Manipur after the verdict of a court. I would appeal to both groups, they should maintain peace, and justice will be done with everyone. I will myself go to Manipur after few days and will stay there for three days & will talk to people of Manipur for establishing peace," he said at an event in Guwahati.

One person was shot dead and houses were set on fire as fresh ethnic violence erupted in Manipur, officials said Thursday.

Manipur has been on the boil after an explosion of interethnic violence this month killed at least 70 people and left tens of thousands displaced.

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Some 2,000 houses were also burned down across the state.

The violence was sparked by anger among the Kuki tribal group at the prospect of the majority Meitei community being given guaranteed quotas of government jobs and other perks in a form of affirmative action.

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This also stoked long-held fears among the Kuki that the Meitei might also be allowed to acquire land in areas currently reserved for them and other tribal groups.

The military has deployed thousands of troops to the state, where curfews have been imposed and the internet cut for several weeks.

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An indefinite curfew was reimposed on Wednesday in the flashpoint Bishnupur district after suspected militants fired at a group of people, fatally wounding one person.

"Two persons, who had been living in a relief camp, were injured during the firing by the militants and one of them later died in a hospital," a local police officer, who did not want to be identified, told news agency AFP.

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Before the shooting, suspected militants torched some abandoned houses close to a relief camp set up for those displaced during the violence, the officer said.

The house of local minister Govindas Konthoujam was also attacked and ransacked when the family was away.

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India's northeast has seen decades of unrest among ethnic and separatist groups seeking more autonomy or even secession from India, with at least 50,000 people killed in Manipur since the 1950s.

Such conflicts have waned over the years, with many groups striking deals with New Delhi for more powers.

(With inputs from agencies)

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