Mon Nov 18 02:08:42 UTC 2024: **Manipur Violence Escalates: Amit Shah Convenes Emergency Meetings, Troops Deployed**

Imphal, Manipur – Union Home Minister Amit Shah has convened emergency meetings in response to a surge in violence in Manipur. The escalating conflict between Meitei and Kuki communities has led to reprisal killings, attacks on the homes of MLAs and ministers, and widespread road blockages.

Shah, who cut short a campaign trip to Maharashtra, chaired an emergency meeting Sunday with senior security officials and will lead a further review Monday at North Block. The government is responding to the renewed violence, which followed the alleged rape, murder, and burning of a 31-year-old tribal woman, triggering further retaliatory attacks. The bodies of several civilians from both communities have been discovered.

To address the crisis, the Centre has deployed approximately 300 army and Assam Rifles personnel in Imphal, at the request of the state administration, and an additional 2,500 paramilitary personnel in the past week. The deployment is complicated by the fact that police stations in Imphal are not designated as disturbed areas under the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA), limiting the scope of security forces’ actions without state government requisition.

The situation, while showing some improvement on Sunday, remains tense. Curfews remain in effect in Imphal, and internet services have been suspended. The ongoing conflict, which began in May, has already claimed at least 250 lives and displaced over 60,000 people, effectively splitting Manipur into ethnically divided zones. The government’s response includes the imposition of AFSPA in at least six police stations. The CRPF director general has also been sent to Manipur to assist in the crisis management.

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