Union home minister Amit Shah on Monday held a review meeting with senior security officials for the second consecutive day amid escalating violence in BJP-ruled Manipur.
He directed that an additional 50 companies of Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF), comprising over 5,000 personnel, be sent to Manipur to assist the state government in handling the “volatile” situation.
Shah on Sunday cancelled his political events in poll-bound Maharashtra to monitor the security situation in Manipur and held a review meeting at his residence with security officials.
Sources said Shah directed paramilitary forces to focus on restoring peace and order in the ethnic strife-torn state which has again turned volatile following the killing of 10 Kuki-Zo men by security forces and the recovery of the bodies of the Meitei women and children who had gone missing on November 11.
In the meeting at his North Block office on Monday, sources said, the home minister directed all security forces to coordinate smoothly and specifically asked themto focus on restoring peace and order in Manipur as soonas possible.
“He also directed security officials to increase the number of personnel in the state if there is a need,” said a ministry official.
It was during this meeting that Shah decided to dispatch an additional 50 CAPF companies. Last week, the home ministry sent 20 CAPF companies — 15 from the CRPF and five from the BSF — to the state after violence broke out in Jiribam district and spread to other places.
Fresh protests erupted in Manipur on Saturday after the bodies were found in Jiribam. Following the protests, a curfew was imposed in Imphal West and Imphal East and Internet services were suspended in seven districts.
The National People’s Party (NPP) on Sunday withdrew support to the BJP-led Manipur government, claiming that the N. Biren Singh dispensation had “completely failed to resolve the 18-month-old crisis and restore normalcy” in the state. The NPP has seven MLAs in the 60-member Manipur Assembly.
The Opposition has slammed Prime Minister Narendra Modi for “studiously avoiding” a visit to the “most troubled state”.
