Imphal, Jan. 18: Manipur government has invited the United Naga Council (UNC) representatives “to attend a dialogue with the state government and representative of Ministry of Home Affairs” on January 23 next in Imphal.
In an official letter addressed to UNC president/general secretary, Manipur chief secretary, O Nabakishore Singh said that the meeting will be held at 11 am on January 23 at the conference hall of old secretariat, south block in Imphal.
He reiterated that the state government will provide all necessary assistance to the UNC team to participate in the dialogue.
Recalling the state government's inability to send a representative for the tripartite talk which was once scheduled on November 15 in New Delhi "due to late receipt of the information from Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) by the state government," the chief secretary's letter said: "The state government has been requesting the government of India to initiate the tripartite talks."
The MHA, in a letter to Manipur chief secretary on January 13 last had indicated that the state government may initiate for dialogue with UNC where government of India will send their representative, according to the letter. Manipur has been reeling under indefinite economic blockade on sector of two National Highways 2 and 37 since November 1 midnight last year. UNC called the blockade to protest the Manipur government’s decision to elevate Jiribam and Sadar Hills as full-fledged districts. The UNC and its associated bodies feel the move has been done to bifurcate the ancestral lands of the Nagas in Manipur. The state government has denied the assertions saying it was done for administrative convenience.
Meanwhile eight representatives of various civil society organizations under the ‘Goodwill Mission for Peacefull Co-existence’ on Wednesday urged governor of Manipur, Dr Najma A Heptulla to extend necessary help to the parties concerned in resolving the ongoing issue in the state.
Manipur chief minister, O Ibobi Singh also left for New Delhi on Wednesday to meet and discuss the ongoing issue in the state with the Union home minister, Rajnath Singh.
On Tuesday, a 17-member team of Joint Forum for Peace comprising representatives of United Committee Manipur, All Manipur United Clubs’ Organisation and Committee of Civil Societies Kangleipak and others also left for Delhi to urge the central leaders to end the blockade which entered the 79th day on Wednesday.
Rajnath meets Zeliang and Ibobi
In a late night statement issued by the office of chief minister TR Zeliang, it was informed that Union home minister Rajnath Singh had a meeting with the chief ministers of Nagaland and Manipur at New Delhi on Wednesday.
According to the CMO statement, said meeting was “in an effort to ease up the ongoing imbroglio in Manipur between the people of the Hill districts headed by the United Naga Council and the government of Manipur which hasn’t improved even with the government of India sending unprecedented security personnel to open up the Bandh on National Highways leading to the Valley which has been in force since November 1 last.”
Rajnath was reported as making “an earnest appeal” to Zeliang to “try to convince the Naga leaders in Manipur to call of their blockade and come to some sort of understanding with the government of Manipur.” According to the statement, Zeliang had reiterated the demand of the UNC that the proposed tripartite meeting among the UNC, the government of Manipur and the government of India should either be held at Senapati, Manipur or New Delhi.
“Zeliang agreed to convey the sentiments of the parties present today at the meeting to the Naga leaders of Manipur after it was decided that the meeting should be held on January 23, either at Imphal or New Delhi,” it stated.
The NSCN (IM) has condemned the government of Manipur for what it alleged was chief minister O Ibobi Singh giving freehand to his henchmen commandos to commit heinous crime while accusing Manipur commandos of killing Dikhuanang Gonmei, a student.
“The killing of Dikhuanang Gonmei s/o Tajimang Gonmei of Chanchgdai village a promising student and three others seriously injuring Jack Kamei (30) and Thuandung Kamei (31) of Taobam village and Nipen Kalita (24) of Khakation 12th January 2017 at Khumji (Lukhambi) village by the Manipur state security forces discloses very shocking diabolic scheme of thing by the Manipur government towards the Nagas. The incident got viral in social media networking site blaming the NSCN without proper verification,” an NSCN (IM) press release stated on Wednesday.
According to the statement, the NSCN (IM) arrived at the conclusion that the killing was done by Manipur commandos ‘after painstaking investigation, taking into account from various reliable sources’.
“The commandos came in camouflage uniform speaking indistinct accent of Nagamese and indiscriminately firing upon the ill-fated innocent travellers to make believe as it was done by the NSCN cadres. Stretch of the length of National Highway from Imphal to Jiribam was already sanitized and strictly guarded by both the state and Indian armed forces where penetration of other forces is impossible. To whitewash their crime after the shooting, operation was carried out by the commandos themselves thereby projecting others of the incident.
“It may also be recalled that similar incident happened on 8th January 2017 at Tengnoupal area where a Kuki village chief and a church leader were kidnapped at the behest of Ibobi Singh by Manipur valley based militant identifying themselves as Meitei underground. But when dead bodies were brought nearby a Naga village, they spoke in Nagamese whereby simply blame the NSCN in various social media to create enmity and misunderstanding among the hill people,” it stated.
While condemning the killing of the student, the NSCN (IM) stated that ‘playing games at the cost of innocent Naga civilian life like slaughtering animals is unpardonable crime to be punished by all means.’
“Till today no action has been taken against the culprit commandos by the state government. If such trends continue on the Nagas, the NSCN shall no longer tolerate but will defend our people and land with all available resources at our disposal.”
