A reconciliation committee led by HAC Dinganglung Gangmei has been established, according to Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh. He made this revelation in response to a brief question from MLAs Th Lokeshwar and K Meghachandra during Monday’s state assembly session. According to Chief Minister Biren Singh, negotiations have begun with a number of the house members who chose not to attend the assembly in order to restore order and calm to the state.
It should be mentioned that Kuki lawmakers were recently met in Guwahati by members of the Hill Areas Committee (HAC), under the leadership of Dinganglung Gangmei.
Biren went on to say that as time is what brought about this issue and will bring about change as well, we must put a stop to it as soon as possible to restore our previous state of peace and harmony. In an effort to establish peace in the state, he also asks the existing members of the house for their assistance and counsel.
As for the violence itself, Chief Minister N Biren Singh said on Monday that 221 people had died in it, 198 of them were innocent villagers, 20 of them were women, and 8 of them were children.
During the current 5th session of the 12th Manipur Legislative Assembly, the chief minister disclosed this information.
In response to the prominent query from MLA K Ranjit Singh on the death toll from the incident that broke out on May 3 of last year, Biren stated that 114 people had received ex gratia and that the other people were undergoing verification.
In addition, the chief minister addressed MLA Th Lokeshwar over the use of state security forces in sensitive areas, stating that these forces are not always stationed in every constituency but rather according to the conditions on the ground.
He said both state and central forces are deployed in accordance with the situation on the ground.
“Certainly, there are rumors that sophisticated weapons are being used, and cases involving suspected sophisticated weapons have been forwarded to the NIA or CBI,” Chief Medical Examiner Biren stated. She went on to say that while there is a high likelihood of complex weapons being used, there is no concrete evidence of it.
The chief minister added that a forensic science team had gathered certain weaponry materials and that the central government will get a report on it.
The CM declared, “We are well prepared to face all manner of incidents and there is no need to panic nor worry,” adding that “a large-scale operation is yet to be initiated though combing operations are widely being conducted to be able to arrest culprits and seize arms and ammunition.”
