In a bid to restore peace in ethnic-clashes hit restive Manipur, Centre on Wednesday held talks with representatives of Kuki groups while a separate round of talks was also held with representatives of the Meitei community’s civil society Coordinating Committee for Manipur Integrity (COCOMI).
Centre’s points man for the Northeast, former additional director with the Intelligence Bureau Akshay Mishra had a meeting with representatives of Kuki militant groups under Suspension of Operation (SoO) agreement with the government, sources were quoted as saying by The Indian Express.
Meanwhile, the Meitei civil society COCOMI had on Tuesday urged the Centre not to hold talks with Kuki groups claiming that members of those bodies are responsible for the current turmoil in the state.
Also Read: Manipur violence: US expresses concern over sexual assault case in viral videos
Before the fresh round of ethnic clashes hit the state in May, talks with Kuki groups had been going on for the past several months and a peace deal had even been nearly finalised. Even after the clashes broke out in May, multiple rounds of talks have been held in the state.
Sources said while the talks before the May violence were focused on finding a political solution to the issue of tribal self-determination, the current series of talks is largely focused on finding ways to end the ongoing violence in the state.
The Home Ministry is also in constant touch with Manipur CM N Biren Singh to find a solution on the Meitei side.
However, any solution on the political front to mitigate the ethnic tension in the state is yet to be achieved.
Also Read: Manipur video: Juvenile among six accused nabbed as police speed up probe
“While Kukis are adamant on a separate administration having lost all trust in the current Manipur government, the CM is rooting for status quo ante. At the moment, none of these solutions are workable. Granting separate administration to Kukis will rile up Meiteis given the current situation. Kukis will not accept the status quo ante. Only after the violence ebbs, perhaps, the two sides will be able to hear each other,” a key political leader engaged in talks said, as per a report by The India Express.
Meanwhile, a government source said, “It is not the right time to hold political talks. Right now the focus is to find ways to gradually tone down, if not immediately end, the violence in the state. Various ways are being discussed with the stakeholders. The Kuki demand for a separate administration is not being discussed at the moment.”