NEW DELHI: Home Minister Amit Shah on Saturday directed security officials to ensure free movement of people on all roads in Manipur from March 8 and also called for strict action against those creating obstructions.
He also instructed agencies to complete fencing work on both sides of the designated entry points along Manipur’s International Border at the earliest.
Shah gave the directions during a security review meeting on Manipur, held for the first time after President’s rule was imposed there on February 13.
The state has been in throes of ethnic violence since May 2023, with the tribal Kukis and the majority community Meiteis clashing with each other, resulting in the killing of more than 300 persons and displacement of over 50,000 people. The violence has impacted free movement of people through the areas inhabited by Meiteis and Kukis.
Shah said to rid Manipur of drugs, the entire network involved in the narcotics trade should be dismantled.
The Home Minister chaired the meeting even as Governor Ajay Kumar Bhalla on Friday extended the deadline for surrendering illegally procured weapons by various groups till March 6. Bhalla was present during the meeting.
The review meeting was held just days after the Army’s Director General of Military Operations Lt Gen Rajiv Ghai had visited the strife-torn state. During his stay, the top Army officer reviewed the situation along the India-Myanmar border.
Lt General Ghai had also reviewed the status of ongoing border infrastructure development in the state.
Focusing on the operational preparedness of the Army, the DGMO had carried out an assessment of the security situation along the Indo-Myanmar border and security dynamics in the state, including fringe areas.
The discussions centred around the normalisation of prevailing security situation in the state, particularly the need to enhance border management and strengthen security infrastructure.
General Ghai had also called on Governor Bhalla, the state’s security adviser Kuldiep Singh, Manipur Chief Secretary Prashant Kumar Singh and the Director General of Police Rajiv Singh.
Union Home Secretary Govind Mohan, Director of Intelligence Bureau Tapan Deka, the Deputy Chief of Army Staff, the Directors General of the BSF, CRPF and Assam Rifles, and officers of the Ministry of Home Affairs and Manipur administration also attended the review meeting.