Chief Minister Biren Singh Appeals Amid Renewed Manipur Violence

Amid fresh violence in Manipur, Chief Minister N Biren Singh has urged the central government to protect the state's territorial integrity and reject demands for a separate administration by Kuki Zo groups. Singh submitted a memorandum to Governor Acharya, calling for peace and revocation of the Suspension of Operations agreement.

Amid a fresh resurgence of violence in Manipur, Chief Minister N Biren Singh on Sunday appealed to the central government to take decisive steps to safeguard the territorial integrity of the state, according to an official.

Singh also urged the central government to reject demands for a separate administration raised by Kuki Zo groups, as confirmed by an official speaking under conditions of anonymity.

The Chief Minister made these appeals in a memorandum submitted to Governor Lakshman Prasad Acharya during a meeting at Raj Bhavan, attended by several MLAs and the assembly Speaker.

In the memorandum to the Governor, Singh emphasized the need for the Centre to ensure peace in Manipur and to grant adequate powers to the elected state government, the official stated.

Singh further called for the revocation of the Suspension of Operations (SoO) agreement.

The SoO agreement, involving the Centre, the Manipur government, and two Kuki militant organizations – Kuki National Organisation (KNO) and United People's Front (UPF) – was initially signed in 2008 and has been periodically extended.

Raj Bhavan released a statement confirming that Singh and his cabinet colleagues submitted a memorandum to the Governor.

However, neither Raj Bhavan nor the Chief Minister disclosed the memorandum's contents. The statement added that Singh was joined by over 20 MLAs, including assembly Speaker Thokchom Satyabrata Singh, during the hour-long meeting.

The meeting occurred amidst renewed violence in the state, which claimed at least five lives in Jiribam district on Saturday.

The Chief Minister also met the Governor on Saturday night to brief him on the situation.

According to police reports, militants entered a man's house and shot him dead while he slept. This murder triggered heavy exchanges of gunfire between warring community members, resulting in the deaths of four armed men.

Previously untouched by ethnic clashes, ethnically diverse Jiribam erupted in violence after a 59-year-old man belonging to one community was allegedly killed by militants of another community in June. Since May last year, clashes between the Meitei and Kuki communities have left over 200 dead and thousands homeless.

(With inputs from agencies.)