Union Home Minister Amit Shah told a group of civil society organisations from Mizoram that it was the Centre’s duty to restore peace in Manipur and the situation would normalise in a few days, Lalhmachhuana, vice-president of Central Young Mizo Association, who led the delegation, told The Hindu.
More than 5,000 people from Manipur have taken refuge in Mizoram following the May 3 ethnic and communal violence in the State that has claimed 73 lives so far. More than 35,000 people were displaced in the violence and over 700 properties, including religious places, were torched. Parts of Manipur are still under curfew and mobile Internet remains suspended.
The NGO Coordination Committee of Mizoram, comprising five groups, met Mr. Shah on Monday.
Mr. Lalhmachhuana said Mr. Shah listened to their grievances patiently. “The Home Minister did not speak much. He told us that it was the Government of India’s duty to create a conducive atmosphere for restoring peace in Manipur. He said as a Home Minister, it was his duty too. He said things will be settled in a few days and the situation will normalise within no time,” he said. The Chin-Kuki-Mizo-Zomi tribals in Manipur and Mizoram share ethnic ties.
The delegation apprised the Minister of a shortage of essential commodities, particularly in the hill districts, due to the curfew and other restrictions.
Meanwhile, the Manipur government has compiled community-wise data on areas under poppy cultivation and arrests made under the Narcotics Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act in the past five years.
A May 16 letter with the subject “war on drugs”, sent by the Office of the Superintendent of Police, Narcotics and Affairs of Border (NAB), the anti-narco unit of Manipur police, to the Commissioner (Home) of Manipur government said that since 2017, as many as 2,518 persons were arrested under the NDPS Act. The letter, accessed by The Hindu, read that of the persons arrested in the past five years, 873 were from Kuki-Chin community, 1,083 were Muslims, 381 Meiteis and 181 were categorised as “others.”
In 2022, as many as 658 persons were arrested, a sharp increase from the 390 arrested in 2021. This year, 80 persons have been arrested.
The letter contained the details of “community-wise poppy cultivated area” in Manipur. It read that 13,121.8 acres of poppy cultivation was by the Kuki-Chin community, 2,340 acres by the Nagas and 35 acres by “others”. A total of 15,496.8 acres was under poppy cultivation since 2017-18, it said.
Since 2018, there were 21 instances when anti-encroachment drives were carried out in reserved forest and protected forest areas and 291 persons were evicted.
Ten Kuki MLAs from Manipur have demanded a separate administration, accusing the N. Biren Singh government of targeted attacks against the tribals by the government machinery and a communal police. They, including seven from the BJP, said the divide between the Meitei community in the valley and the tribals in the hills had partitioned the State and they cannot live together.
