Union Home Minister Amit Shah who arrived in Imphal on Monday evening will hold a series of meetings with political and civil society leaders from both the Meitei and Kuki communities and visit Churachandpur, the site of some of the worst rioting earlier this month, on Tuesday.
Sources said Kuki leaders and MLAs, many of whom had left for neighbouring states, may be flown in for talks with him.
Kukis have been demanding a separate administration for districts they live in, failing which they have also asked for President’s rule being imposed on the state.
RRAG urges Amit Shah to impose President’s rule in Manipur to facilitate inter-community dialogues
Shah, who is being accompanied by home secretary, had held a meeting with chief minister N Biren Singh, as well some of his cabinet colleague, intelligence and security officials on Monday late night to take stock of the situation.
The meeting, sources said, decided on a series of relief measures as well as steps to augment supplies in this north-eastern state to cool down prices of essential commodities which have soared since ethnic violence began earlier this month.
The central and Manipur state government have decided to give a compensation of Rs 10 lakh to those who died during the ethnic conflict in Manipur, officials said Tuesday.
A member of the family of those who died in the rioting will also be provided a job.
The compensation amount will be equally borne by the centre and the state, officials added.
The decision was taken at a meeting between Union Home Minister Amit Shah and chief minister N Biren Singh, on Monday late night.
The decision to announce a compensation package was taken at that meeting, officials said.
Officials said it has also been decided to set up dedicated telephone lines which will be used to dispel rumour mongering which has largely affected the process to calm down the situation and bring peace in the troubled state.
Shah’s meeting also decided to ensure that essential items such as petrol, LPG gas, rice and other food products will be made available in large quantities to cool down prices. The home minister who flew in to Imphal Monday night is accompanied by the Home Secretary Ajay Kumar Bhalla and Director of the Intelligence Bureau Tapan Kumar Deka.
Manipur, afflicted by ethnic conflict for nearly a month witnessed a sudden spurt in clashes and firing between militants and security forces on Sunday, after a relative lull for several weeks.
The death toll from clashes since ethnic rioting began on May 3 has gone up to 80 according to officials.
Army and paramilitary personnel have been conducting combing operations in the Imphal valley and surrounding districts, an official said. The Army operation is aimed at confiscating illegal caches of arms, he said.
