IMPHAL: As a step towards full peace again in the violence-hit Manipur, Union Home Minister Amit Shah announced on Tuesday that a road map with new details for resolving the existing tension in the state had been developed. Reiterating that an effective way to resolve ethnic violence is through dialogue between Kuki and Meitei communities, Shah said this in a press conference.
"This is a racial violence, and there cannot be any solution until there is a dialogue between them," Shah stated, emphasizing the government's pledge for a platform for peace talks. He added that the government is hopeful of taming the situation and has been actively holding discussions with local tribal groups.
Cross-border infiltration has largely been one of the core issues affecting the situation. Shah revealed that the India-Myanmar border, a traditionally known route of unauthorized entry, is among the strategic focus points for curbing unrest in the region. He opined that a massive fencing project has been undertaken by the government on the 1,500 km-long border to stop unauthorized movements. 30 km fencing has reportedly been completed, while the Government has approved a significant budget to ensure that every inch of the border was fortified. We have been able to deploy CRPF forces at strategic locations so that security has been enhanced, Shah said. To stop this infiltration, we have nullified the agreement between India and Myanmar that allowed free movement of people along the border. Now entry into India is only allowed if there is a valid visa for it.
Shah also mentioned the recent drop in violence, saying that even though there have been isolated incidents of unrest in the last three days, there have not been any major incidents over the last three months. He said this points to the fact that the current system is working positively, but much work remains.
While the situation is quite fragile at this moment, this announcement by Shah makes the state hope for a peaceful solution. The balance of dialogue and security steps taken by the government gives it a strong message that it is capable of solving Manipur's ethnic tensions in the long term.
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