Union home minister Amit Shah on Saturday directed the security forces to ensure the free movement of people on all routes in Manipur from March 8, prevent fresh violence and focus on the recovery of looted and unreturned police weapons.
He also called for strict action against those obstructing the return of normality to the state, where 22 months of conflict between Meiteis and Kuki-Zos has left at least 260 people dead, sources in the security establishment said. A big step towards the return of peace in Manipur, now under President’s rule, has been taken with several groups returning some of the looted arms since late last month following a call from the governor.
The deadline for surrendering weapons is March 6.
“Shah directed that free movement be ensured for people on all roads in Manipur from March 8, 2025,” a home ministry statement said.
The statement added: “He also directed that strict action should be taken against anyone attempting to create obstructions.”
Fear and distrust are so deep in Manipur that the hill-based Kuki-Zos and valley-based Meiteis have since the outbreak of violence in May 2023 largely avoided entering each other’s areas.
Shah also “directed that the fencing work on both sides of the designated entry points along Manipur’s international border should be completed at the earliest”, the ministry said.
“He said that to make Manipur drug-free, the entire network involved in the drug trade should be dismantled.”
Meitei groups have blamed the violence on infiltration and narco-terrorism from across the Myanmar border, home to some communities related to the Kuki-Zos.
A security official attached to the home ministry said that Shah had during the one-hour meeting emphasised the recovery of the remaining looted weapons, saying this would go a long way towards establishing peace in the state.
“The Centre is taking necessary measures but theroad to peace is going to be a long haul,” the official told The Telegraph.
The Centre and Manipur’s erstwhile BJP government have been widely condemned for their inaction and failure to contain the violence for nearly two years.
Shah’s security review meeting on Manipur on Saturday — his first since the mid-February resignation of BJP chief minister N. Biren Singh — was attended by Manipur governor Ajay Bhalla.
Also present were state security adviser Kuldiep Singh, Manipur director-general of police Rajiv Singh, Intelligence Bureau chief Tapan Deka, Union home secretary Govind Mohan, the heads of the CRPF, Assam Rifles and the BSF, and senior officers of the home ministry andthe army.
Bhalla had on Friday extended to March 6 the deadline for the surrender of looted and illegally held arms and ammunition. He made it clear that “this is the last opportunity for everyone concerned” to contribute to peace.