Manipur Governor meets Amit Shah, discusses situation in state

Manipur Governor Ajay Kumar Bhalla met with Union Home Minister Amit Shah in New Delhi on January 18. 

Bhalla, during the meet, is believed to have briefed Shah on the prevailing situation in the violence-hit state, according to sources.

Bhalla met the Union home minister for the first time after being appointed to the constitutional post in the trouble-torn state.

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After his appointment as Governor last month, Bhalla has been meeting people from various walks of life, taking feedback from them on how to restore normalcy in the northeastern state.

He has also chaired at least two meetings to discuss the law-and-order situation in the state and is understood to have given necessary directions to security forces, the sources said.

Bhalla, a former Union home secretary who closely worked with Shah for five years till August 2024, was handpicked by the home minister himself. It is said that he has been given the mandate to bring back normalcy in the restive state.

More than 260 people have been killed and thousands rendered homeless in ethnic violence in Manipur between the Imphal valley-based majority Meitei community and the adjoining hills-based Kuki-Zo tribals since May 2023.

The violence broke out after a "Tribal Solidarity March" was organised in the state's hill districts to protest against the Meitei community's demand for Scheduled Tribe (ST) status.

Peace continues to be elusive in the northeastern state, even though there have been efforts from the Bharatiya Janata Party-led Centre to bring the warring communities to the negotiating table.