The Union home ministry on Tuesday held a meeting with MLAs belonging to the Meitei, Kuki and Naga communities to find an amicable solution to the ongoing violence in Manipur, the first such initiative after the ethnic conflict began on May 3 last year.

However, the home ministry issued a brief statement after the meeting without sharing details such as who all participated or whether it was a joint meeting or a separate meeting.

“A group of elected members of Manipur Assembly, representing Kuki-Zo-Hmar, Meitei and Naga communities, met in New Delhi today to discuss on the current scenario in the State. The meeting unanimously resolved to appeal to the people of the State belonging to all communities to shun the path of violence so that no more precious lives of innocent citizens are lost,” the statement issued by the ministry of home affairs said.

Four Kuki-Zo MLAs had said in the evening that they only met home ministry officials and did not participate in the joint meeting with Naga and Meitei MLAs.

However, one of the MLAs who attended the meeting told The Telegraph that eight Meitei, four Kuki and three Naga MLAs attended the meeting. The agenda is to start the peace process. “The meeting was positive.”

Prodded about whether the Kuki-Zos raised the issue of a separate administration, the MLA said: “Discussed only restoring of peace”.

The statement issued on behalf of the four Kuki-Zo MLAs who attended the meeting on Tuesday suggested the road to solution and reconciliation in Manipur would be tough and tricky.

Haokholet Kipgen, Letpao Haokip, Ngursanglur Sanate and Nemcha Kipgen are the four Kuki-Zo MLAs who were present at the meeting.

The statement said the Kuki-Zo representatives “affirmed that they are representing the voice of the people and will advocate solely for the people” while asserting that a “separate administration for the Kuki-Zo community is a prerequisite for any peace dialogue”.

The meeting took place less than a month after Union home minister Amit Shah’s media conference where he said the Centre was in talks with Kukis and Meiteis to resolve the situation in Manipur.

Sources said those who attended the meeting from the Meitei side included Assembly Speaker Thokchom Satyabrata Singh, Tongbram Robindro and Th. Basantakumar Singh, while Ram Muivah, Awangbow Newmai and L. Dikho were there from the Naga side.

Shah and Manipur chief minister N. Biren Singh did not attend Tuesday’s meeting.

The Kuki-Zo MLAs’ statement on Tuesday aligned with a statement made by the SoO militant groups on Monday.

The SoO groups refer to Kuki-Zo militant outfits which signed the suspension of operations (SoO) pact with the government in 2008. There are 25 rebel groups under the two umbrella organisations Kuki National Organisation and the United People’s Front.

The SoO groups issued a statement emphasising the “need for Kuki-Zo MLAs to attend the meeting as it was an initiative of the central government”. However, the staement asserted that any meeting between Kuki-Zo and Meitei MLAs is “unacceptable unless the concerns of the Kuki-Zo public are adequately addressed”.