Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh Seeks Support From Naga Bodies To Bring Peace

Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh on Wednesday sought support from Naga civil society organisations in Senapati district to help restore peace in the violence-hit state. He said his government was working hard to bring unity among communities.

Speaking at a cultural event - RobvenaNi 2024 - in Punanamei village, Mr Singh said Manipur has been facing "hardship in the last 19 months and the situation is improving gradually by God's grace".

"This event is based on the theme of getting together, reconciliation and forgiveness, which are needed in Manipur," Mr Singh said.

"The role of the people of Senapati district is huge. The role of the Naga Peoples' Organisation, Senapati District Students' Association, United Naga Council Headquarters and other civic societies is huge in protecting the unity and integrity of the state and strengthening the indigenous communities of Manipur," the chief minister said.

The 'Go to Hills' campaign of the state government was launched to initiate interactions between communities living in the hills and the valley, Mr Singh said, adding another objective of the campaign was to bring the government to the people of the hills.

"I came here today to seek help from the people of Senapati district to restore peace and normalcy in the state," he said.

The chief minister said it would be "difficult to establish a united Manipur without equal development and mutual respect" among the people of the hills and the valley.

He said the war on drugs campaign was aimed at saving young people from the menace, while the identification of illegal immigrants was initiated "through constitutional provisions to protect the numerically less indigenous population".

"We have some 34 recognised tribes, of which 24 or 25 are indigenous. Some people are old settlers but non-indigenous. For the welfare and unity of all these tribes, the Sangai Ethnic Park to showcase the culture of each tribe was established by the government. We tried hard for the unity of all," Mr Singh said.

He said the administration has seen "the growth of villages of unrecognised people in the state through satellite images".

"The records were not manipulated. We had to consider the population of indigenous people (in the wake of such growing villages of unrecognised groups). The count of indigenous Naga people of Mao, Maram, Poumai and others is hardly one lakh. The population of Tangkhul, the largest Naga sub-tribe, is not much.

"Under such circumstances, it was necessary to identify illegal immigrants and this exercise was also conducted through constitutional provisions. Unfortunately, this led to unwanted incidents and many lives have been lost and many left homeless," Mr Singh said.

Over 250 people have been killed and thousands left homeless in ethnic violence between the Meiteis and Kuki tribes in Manipur since May 2023.

Mr Singh said efforts are on to build a Rs 140-crore unity mall in Imphal East district, which will have stalls from all recognised tribes.

He called for the need to expand Senapati town to accommodate a growing population and infrastructure development.

Mr Singh reached the interior Naga village to attend the programme by helicopter after the Kuki Zo Council in Churachandpur said it would not allow him to go to Senapati by passing through Kangpokpi district by road.