Centre holds round of talks with Kuki, Meitei representatives; Manipur peace on agenda

The Central government has engaged in talks with the representatives of Kuki groups from Manipur in order to defuse the ongoing ethnic clashes in the state, as per the top government sources. Amid this, a separate round of talks was also held with the Meitei community representatives-- Coordinating Committee for Manipur Integrity (COCOMI). A total of six rounds of talks have been convened with each communities.

The talks with both sides are in an advanced stage as the focus of the current meetings is primarily on finding solutions to end the violent conflict. 

Union government has held a dozen rounds of talks separately with both sides in Assam as well as in New Delhi. The peace talks are being supervised by Home Minister Amit Shah. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been taking daily updates, usually every three hours.

Notably, no new deaths have been reported in the state after July 17. The state is returning to normalcy as 82% attendance of students was reported in schools and 72% attendance in offices. 

CBI to take over Manipur viral video

The Centre has also taken stock of the heinous Manipur viral video in which two women were disrobed, paraded naked and sexually assaulted by a group of 900 to 1000 men. The incident took place on May 4 but came to the fore nearly after two months on July 19 which sparked a nationwide outrage.

The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) is going to refer the Manipur viral video case to the Central investigation bureau (CBI). The videographer who recorded the video has been arrested and the mobile phone from the video was shot has also been seized. The Centre will also file an affidavit in Supreme Court requesting the the trial of viral video case to take place outside Manipur

More than 160 people have lost their lives, and several have been injured since ethnic violence broke out in the state on May 3, when a 'Tribal Solidarity March' was organised in the hill districts to protest against the Meitei community's demand for Scheduled Tribe (ST) status.