Team News Riveting
Imphal, May 27
The Chief of Army Staff (COAS), General Manoj Pande in on a two-day visit to Manipur starting Saturday.
The COAS will visit various locations where he will interact with the local formation commanders and obtain a first-hand account of the situation obtaining on ground on the backdrop of ongoing ethnic clashes between communities. He will also interact with the troops.
The Army Chief on Saturday met Ms. Anusuiya Uikey, Governor of Manipur. He is also scheduled to meet N Biren Singh, the Chief Minister and Kuldiep Singh, the Chief Security Advisor of Manipur, to discuss and deliberate over the current situation and future trajectory, in order to restore normalcy at the earliest, an official statement said
Owing to the internal security situation in Manipur, the State Administration had requisitioned Army and Assam Rifles on 03 May 2023. As an immediate response, Army and Assam Rifles deployed 135 columns to diffuse the situation by carrying out active domination of sensitive and fringe areas. Approximately 35,000 civilians were evacuated to safe zones and immediate relief and humanitarian aid was provisioned to displaced civilians by the Army and Assam Rifles.
Eastern Army Commander Lt Gen Rana Pratap Kalita is accompanying the Army Chief during his two-day visit to the state. Gen Pande is scheduled to return on Sunday, while Lt Gen Kalita is likely to stay back for Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s visit to Manipur from Monday, Army sources said.
Clashes broke out in Manipur after a Tribal Solidarity March’ was organised in the hill districts on May 3 to protest against the Meitei community’s demand for Scheduled Tribe (ST) status.
