Special Central Team Reaches Manipur; Scrap Ceasefire With Insurgents, Say MLAs

Imphal/Guwahati/New Delhi: 

Thirty-five MLAs from different parties including the ruling BJP in Manipur have asked the Centre to end a ceasefire deal signed with 25 Kuki insurgent groups, on a day a special three-member team of the Home Ministry landed in the state capital Imphal.

The team headed by the adviser on northeast affairs to the Home Ministry AK Mishra met with the leader of a valley-based village defence volunteer group at the Imphal home of Rajya Sabha MP Eningthou Leishemba Sanajaoba, people with direct knowledge of the matter said. The meeting will continue tomorrow, they said, without giving details what they discussed.

The other two members of the Home Ministry team are Subsidiary Intelligence Bureau (SIB) Delhi joint director Mandeep Singh Tuli, and SIB joint director Imphal Rajesh Kumble.The MLAs in their resolution gave four suggestions on how the Manipur ethnic crisis may be solved quickly – end the Suspension of Operations (SoO) signed with 25 Kuki insurgent groups, complete disarmament of all groups, stop alleged attacks by Myanmar insurgents on security forces, and order the Assam Rifles to neutralise insurgents who target civilians.