Amit Shah to Chair High-Level Meeting on Manipur’s Volatile Security Situation

GG News Bureau
New Delhi, 18th Nov. Union Home Minister Amit Shah is set to chair a crucial meeting on Monday to assess and strategize for the security situation in Manipur, which has been embroiled in ethnic violence since May last year. The meeting will include National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, Union Home Secretary Govind Mohan, Intelligence Bureau Director Tapan Deka, and other senior officials, sources said.
Shah canceled his scheduled election rallies in Maharashtra on Sunday to address the escalating unrest in the northeastern state. He will reportedly provide directives to handle the “volatile” situation, which has recently worsened due to violent protests following the recovery of bodies of women and children.
On Saturday night, irate mobs torched the residences of three BJP legislators, including a senior minister, and a Congress MLA in Imphal Valley. Properties were vandalized, and houses were partially burnt, although none of the legislators or their families were present during the attacks. These incidents followed the imposition of an indefinite curfew after earlier violence involving attacks on ministers’ and MLAs’ homes.
In another violent episode, 10 suspected militants were killed in a gunfight with security forces on November 11 in Jiribam district after insurgents fired at a police station and a CRPF camp. Hours later, six civilians, including women and children, were reportedly abducted by suspected militants.
The Union Home Ministry has ordered all security forces in the state to take steps to restore order, emphasizing strict action against armed miscreants from both Meitei and Kuki-Zo communities involved in violence. On Thursday, the Centre reimposed the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act (AFSPA) in six police station areas, including Jiribam, citing the fragile security situation.
Since the ethnic violence began with the ‘Tribal Solidarity March’ protesting the Meitei community’s demand for Scheduled Tribe (ST) status, over 220 people have lost their lives, and thousands have been displaced.