BJP MLA and son-in-law of Manipur chief minister N. Biren Singh on Monday wrote a letter to home minister Amit Shah saying it would be “better” to withdraw the Central forces from the strife-torn state for its “seeming ineffectiveness in ensuring peace”.

Rajkumar Imo Singh, the three-time MLA, urged Shah to hand over the charge of the unified command to the state government because the current set-up was unable to “halt” the ongoing violence.

Imo Singh mailed a two-page letter to the home minister to take “immediate action in the interest of the people of Manipur”, a day after the state witnessed a resumption of violent attacks, which according to the state, has been carried out by suspected Kuki militants, leaving one dead and several injured.

There were also attacks on villages in Imphal East and Imphal West on Monday by suspected Kuki militants, who used both automatic weapons and “drone bombs” leaving one injured, security officials told The Telegraph.

The ongoing attacks have fuelled concerns within the security establishments and the public with a series of review meetings held at different levels on Monday. Meitei-based organisations have directed their ire at the Centre for failing to contain the situation for the past 15 months.

“The Union home secretary, the security adviser,
the director-general of police and respective superintendents of police held separate reviews on Monday over the unfolding situation to take appropriate measures,” an official said.

In his letter to Shah, Imo Singh said: “It seems the presence of around 60,000 central forces in Manipur is not yielding peace, thus it’s better to remove such forces who are mostly present as mute spectators...If the presence of...central forces cannot halt the violence, it is better to remove them and allow the state forces to take charge and bring peace to the state.

“Central government has to hand over the unified command to the state government headed by the chief minister and allow to act as per the procedures prescribed by law to bring peace and normalcy in the state.

“The present set-up isn’t able to halt such violence, thus handing over the unified command to the elected government is the need of the hour,” he said.

The current unified command apparatus, which plans and executes measures to contain violence or terror acts, is headed by Kuldiep Singh, who was appointed security adviser to the Manipur government in the wake of the conflict between the Kuki-Zos and Meiteis that erupted on May 3, 2023.

The strife has so far claimed 227 lives and displaced 60,000 from both communities. The unified command had representatives from Central and state forces.

An official said that though Kuldiep heads the command, the chief minister “can always call for reports and convene meetings as he is the elected head of the state”.

Imo Singh has also urged the Centre to take more “stringent measures” against the illegal armed militant groups who have violated ground rules of suspension of operations (SoO), adding that the recent attack “has been upgraded to drone attacks and shelling which we see in neighbouring countries.”

He said the ministry of home affairs “has to abrogate SoO against these groups who are constantly behind the spread of further violence” and “investigate” the funding and supply of these arms and ammunition which are constantly spreading more terror in the state”.

The newly-elected Inner Manipur MP from the Congress, A. Bimol Akoijam, has also vented ire at the Centre on the fresh attacks.

“This is no Ukraine. This is Manipur, one of the states of the union. The latest round of criminal and deadly assaults on civilians in the central valley of Manipur, including using drones to bomb residential areas, exposes the failure of the law enforcement agencies, particularly the armed forces under the government of India which are deployed in Manipur.

“Who is going to be made accountable for their actions or rather inactions? Should not the government of India take the moral or otherwise responsibility for these deaths and destruction?” he said in a post on X on Sunday night.