Imphal: Lieutenant General Konsam Himalay Singh on Monday called for peace and the end of violent conflict in Manipur. He said violence is not a solution but talks are.
Singh is a retired top-ranking army officer who participated in the Kargil War. He is the first officer from the northeast to become a Lieutenant General in the Indian Army. In the 1999 war, he commanded the 27th Battalion, Rajput Regiment, in the high-altitude battlefield Siachen and was honoured with the Yudh Seva Medal. He is now a member of the Manipur government's consultative committee in the Naga peace talks.
"Right now, the need is working to ensure everyone in Manipur, whether tribal or non-tribal, Meitei or Kuki, come to an understanding that violence is not the solution," he told NDTV. "Since the internet has been snapped in Manipur, a lot of misinformation is being spread on social media. People should not fall for fake news about the situation in Manipur. Every effort should be towards bringing peace, not towards making the situation worse from bad," he added.
The army veteran has asked both Meitei and Kuki groups to work together to bring back normalcy. He also called for the safe return of people who had to leave their settlements due to the violence. After the violence broke out between Manipur's valley residents Meiteis and the Kuki tribes in the hills on May 4, over 70 people have died.
The conflict is over the Meiteis' demand for inclusion under the Scheduled Tribes (ST) category.
Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh met with Home Minister Amit Shah and BJP's national chief JP Nadda in Delhi yesterday. "Yesterday, we briefed Home Minister Amit Shah about the situation in Manipur. He expressed sadness about the incidents. The priority is to restore normalcy in Manipur, irrespective of caste, religion, and community," he told the media in Imphal.
His office said that a joint monitoring committee comprising the state police and central forces has been taking steps to ensure that insurgents under the 'Suspension of Operation' (SoO) agreement return to their designated camps. "The situation is slowly limping back to normal, but this issue may deepen the divide between the Meiteis and the Kukis, and can trigger more clashes between the two communities," said the statement.