The Centre has constituted a Peace Committee to facilitate the peace-making process among various ethnic groups in violence-hit Manipur, a statement issued by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) said on Saturday.
The committee will be chaired by Manipur Governor Anusuiya Uikey. As per the statement, the committee members will include the Chief Minister, a few Ministers of the state government, Members of Parliament, MLAs and leaders from different political parties. It will also include former civil servants, educationists, litterateurs, artists, social workers and representatives of different ethnic groups, the statement further said.
“The mandate of the Committee will be to facilitate a peacemaking process among various ethnic groups of the state, including peaceful dialogue and negotiations between conflicting parties and groups,” the MHA statement said.
It further said, “The Committee should strengthen social cohesiveness, mutual understanding and facilitate cordial communication between various ethnic groups.”
It may be mentioned that, in an effort to restore stability in Manipur, Union Home Minister Amit Shah during his four-day-long visit to the state announced the formation of a peace committee and the initiation of a probe into the violent incidents.
Notably, violence broke out in Manipur on May 3 during a ‘Tribal Solidarity March’ that had been called by All Tribal Student Union Manipur (ATSUM) at Torbung area of Churachandpur district to protest the demand of non-tribal Meiteis, who are dominant in the Imphal Valley, for Scheduled Tribe (SC) status.
