Centre must take steps to protect territorial integrity of Manipur: CM

Imphal: Amid a fresh bout of violence in Manipur, Chief Minister N Biren Singh on Sunday appealed to the Centre to take steps to protect territorial integrity of the state, according to an official.

Singh also urged the central government not to give in to the demand for a separate administration raised by Kuki Zo groups, said the official on condition of anonymity.

The chief minister made these appeals in a memorandum submitted to Governor Lakshman Prasad Acharya when he, along with a number of MLAs and the assembly Speaker, called on him at Raj Bhavan and held a meeting.

In the memorandum to Acharya, Singh said the Centre should ensure peace in Manipur and give adequate power to the elected state government, according to the official.

Singh also called for revoking the Suspension of Operations (SoO) agreement.

The SoO pact was signed by the Centre, the Manipur government and two conglomerates of Kuki militant outfits – Kuki National Organisation (KNO) and United People’s Front (UPF). The pact was signed in 2008 and extended periodically thereafter.

The Raj Bhavan said in a statement that Singh met the governor along with his cabinet colleagues and submitted a memorandum.

However, neither Raj Bhavan nor the chief minister shared the contents of the memorandum.

The statement said that besides over 20 MLAs, Singh was accompanied by assembly speaker Thokchom Satyabrata Singh during the meeting that lasted about an hour.

The meeting happened amid fresh violence in the state, in which at least five people were killed in Jiribam district on Saturday.

The chief minister had met the governor on Saturday night as well and briefed him about the situation.

According to police, militants entered the house of a person and shot him dead in his sleep. Following the murder, a heavy exchange of fire broke out between members of the warring communities, leading to the deaths of four armed men.

Ethnically diverse Jiribam which was earlier largely untouched by the ethnic clashes in Imphal Valley and adjoining hills erupted in violence after a 59-year-old man belonging to one community was killed allegedly by militants of another community in June.

Clashes between Meitei and Kukis left over 200 people dead and thousands homeless since May last year.