Manipur Govt's 5 demands To Centre Over Security Situation In State

Imphal: Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh met Governor Lakshman Prasad Acharya on Sunday along with his cabinet colleagues, coalition MLAs and submitted a memorandum, the Raj Bhavan said in a statement. The meeting comes amid security situation in the state especially after recent drone attacks.

The contents of the memorandum were not shared by the Raj Bhavan but according to reports, Biren Singh-led government has demanded the Centre to:

1. State must be given adequate powers and responsibilities to the elected government by handing over the Unified Command. They have demanded handing over the control of the Unified Command that oversees security operations in the state bordering Myanmar.
2. Biren Singh's government has also requested the Centre to scrap the tripartite Suspension of Operations (SoO) agreement between the Centre, the state government and Kuki insurgent groups so that security forces can crack down hard.
3. It has also asked the Centre to ensure peace in the state that is suffering since ethnic clashes last year. They have also demanded protection of the state's territorial integrity, completion of border fencing.
4. Biren Singh's government has asked for a National Register of Citizens exercise and deportation of all illegal immigrants. 
5. N Biren Singh 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.

Earlier, during meeting with the Governor, Singh was accompanied by Assembly speaker Thokchom Satyabrata Singh, and over 20 MLAs. The delegation reached the Raj Bhavan around 11 am, and the meeting lasted about an hour.

The meeting happened amid a fresh bout of violence in the state, in which at least five people were killed. The contents of the memorandum were not shared by the Raj Bhavan. The chief minister had met the governor on Saturday as well and briefed him about the situation. Five people were killed in the Jiribam district.

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 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.

Thousands had to relocate to relief camps due to incidents of arson by both sides. A CRPF jawan was also killed in an ambush by militants in mid-July.

With inputs from PTI