Guwahati/Hyderabad: Union Home Minister Amit Shah, who is currently on a trip to Manipur, on Wednesday met Kuki leaders in sensitive Moreh and Kangpokpi areas, which border Myanmar and are considered 'drug dens' of Manipur.
Shah interacted with the delegations of various local groups in Moreh followed by meeting with Civil Society Organisations in Kangpokpi. He informed about his interaction with Kuki leaders in a Tweet. "Held a meeting with the delegations of Kuki and other communities at Moreh. They expressed strong support for the government's initiatives to restore normalcy in Manipur," he wrote on Twitter.
Later, he will hold a security review meeting in Imphal. These two border towns, known as the poppy belts of Manipur, are significantly affected by the ongoing violence. Earlier this year, security forces arrested over a dozen village heads from these two areas who are accused of having links with Myanmar-based drug lords. Security agencies zeroed in on them after they allegedly facilitated the transit of contraband from Myanmar to be transported to other parts of the country.
After a late-night arrival in Imphal on Monday, Shah held a series of meetings with various Kuki and Meitei leaders, top security officers, and the Manipur cabinet. Shah, who held an all-party meeting on Tuesday evening - one of nine meetings he attended in the day, reviewed the security scenario in the violence-hit north-eastern state.
Amidst Shah's peace-brokering attempt, violence has continued in many parts of the state. Officials reported overnight gunfights between insurgents and security forces in Sugnu, Kakching district. The Union Home Minister is accompanied by Home Secretary Ajay Kumar Bhalla and Director of the IB Tapan Kumar Deka. At a meeting of the Manipur cabinet on Tuesday, five key decisions were reached, aimed at the immediate restoration of normalcy in the state. More than 100 people's lives were lost in the ongoing Manipur violence.
