The peace committee is not desirable and there is no point in constituting a peace committee, claims the Manipur Tribal Forum (MTF) of the Delhi chapter.

The MTF claimed that the state once again witnessed firing yesterday. The violence has not stopped. There are villages where violence took place despite the measures taken.

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MTF allegedly claimed that they are in constant touch with the state tribal forum. MTF allegedly claimed that Kuki tribal villages were burnt down last night. MTF alleged that these Kuki tribal villages have been burned down by the Meitei lepun, arambai tenggol terrorist and state police commandoes altogether, and thousands of people became homeless.

Speaking to The Statesman, the MTF co-convener V Naulakh said, “We do not want a peace committee. Why are all these committees being formed? This is essentially formed for the safety and security of the tribal people. And this is not happening at least right now. So we really want to wait first and rounds of discussions are still needed I believe (sic).”

The tribal communities reiterated alleging that the communities are disappointed by the security forces. The MTF joining the claim of the communities said, “We are at the receiving end. We need to be heard. And a single round of talk will not solve the problem. We need constant dialogue. And there should be a constant process that will help the communities and the authorities”.

There is an age-old conflict between the Kuki and the  Meitei community in the region. Meitei is the Hindu group that has maximum representation in the assembly. The Meitei community’s support allowed the Bharatiya Janata Party to form a government. Kuki follows Christianity. The Kukis live in the hills of Manipur while Meitei communities live in the plains of the region.

The Meitei community wants to be included in the scheduled tribe category while the Kuki community of Manipur has been in the scheduled tribe category since 1950. This difference is becoming wider by the day. And this has been the bone of contention and turned the situation volatile.

On his second day of visit to Manipur, the Union Home Minister had wide-ranging discussions with civil society organisations at Imphal. He met a delegation of Women leaders (Meira Paibis) in Imphal. Reiterating the significance of the role of women in the society of Manipur, Shah said that together, we are committed to ensuring peace and prosperity in the state.

The Union Home Minister Amit Shah visited Manipur recently. He interacted with the delegations of various local groups in Moreh followed by meeting with Civil Society Organisations in Kangpokpi. He conducted a security review meeting in Imphal. And the violence was checked for a few days.

Speaking to The Statesman, Kallol Bhowmick, a Delhi-based journalist, working for Niyomiya Barta says, “Peace needs to be restored along with the amount of faith in the authorities. Then there will be hope and positivity”.