Manipur violence: Amit Shah speaks to CM Biren Singh; RAF airlifted

New Delhi: Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Thursday spoke to Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh and took stock of the situation in the state where violence broke out during a tribal agitation.

The Centre, which is monitoring the situation in Manipur, has also dispatched teams of the Rapid Action Force (RAF) for deployment in violence-hit areas of the Northeastern state.

The RAF is a specialised force to handle riot-like situations.

Officials said the home minister has spoken to the Manipur chief minister, who briefed him about the ground situation and the steps taken to restore peace.

The troops of the Army and Assam Rifles have already been deployed on the ground.

Apart from these two forces, sufficient number of paramilitary forces were also available in Manipur for deployment in violence-hit areas.

Official sources said five companies of the RAF have been airlifted to Imphal while 15 other general duty companies have been asked to be in a state of readiness for deployment to the state.

About 15 companies of the CRPF are already available in Manipur for deployment, the sources said.

Violence broke in some parts of Manipur on Wednesday during the 'Tribal Solidarity March' called by All Tribal Student Union Manipur (ATSUM) in Torbung area of Churachandpur district to protest the demand of non-tribal Meiteis, who dominate the Imphal Valley, for Scheduled Tribe (ST) status.

Thousands of agitators took part in the rally, during which clashes between tribals and non-tribals broke out, a senior police officer said.

Police fired several rounds of tear gas shells to control the situation, the officer said.