Tue Mar 04 16:45:37 UTC 2025: ## Shah Orders Restoration of Manipur’s Damaged Religious Sites, Pushes for Peace
**NEW DELHI, March 4, 2025** – Union Home Minister Amit Shah has directed the Manipur administration to restore religious sites damaged during the May 2023 ethnic violence, aiming to foster reconciliation between the Meitei and Kuki-Zo communities. This follows a security review meeting held on March 1st, the first since President’s Rule was imposed on February 13th.
The directive comes after the Manipur government reported in August 2023 that 386 religious institutions had been damaged. The Supreme Court subsequently ordered the protection of all religious buildings in the state.
Mr. Shah also issued several other key directives, including ensuring the free movement of people on all roads by March 8th, completing the border fencing with Myanmar and dismantling drug networks. He set a June 30th deadline for the recovery of all looted weapons—approximately 6,000 police weapons and lakhs of rounds of ammunition were stolen during the violence—many of which are currently in civilian or insurgent hands. A campaign to encourage the surrender of these weapons, initiated by the Governor, is underway.
To promote peace, the meeting decided to engage approximately 400 community leaders and prominent figures in peacebuilding and development initiatives. While a 51-member peace committee was formed last June, it failed to gain traction with both communities.
The violence has resulted in approximately 250 deaths, numerous missing persons, and over 62,000 displaced individuals currently residing in relief camps. The Home Minister emphasized the urgent need to begin the rehabilitation of these internally displaced persons.
First Piper 