Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Wednesday asked a delegation of Kuki-Zo leaders from Manipur to restore peace in the region before political talks are held. The tribal community has been demanding a separate administration from the State of Manipur.
Mr. Shah assured the members that Manipur Police commandos will not conduct operations in the hill areas without the presence of central security forces and all checkposts leading to the hills will be manned by Assam Rifles, Muan Tombing, general secretary of the Indigenous Tribal Leaders Forum (ITLF), told The Hindu.
In the two-hour meeting, ITLF raised ten demands with the Home Minister which included deployment of more central forces in the buffer zone and establishing an office of the Lamba Commission of Inquiry in Churachandpur. Union Home Secretary Kumar Bhalla and Intelligence Bureau Tapan Kumar Deka were also present in the meeting.
