IMPHAL : Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh said his government moved people from violence-hit areas like Churachandpur, Moreh, and Imphal to safer places to protect them. 

Responding to opposition questions, Singh explained that when violence broke out on May 3, they couldn’t sleep and were in the office discussing immediate actions.

Those affected in Moreh were kept at an Assam Rifles camp and those in Churachandpur were in the Secretariat. 

Initially, they thought of keeping them there, but due to constant cries for help and pressure claiming the affected were not safe, the government decided to evacuate them to save lives.

Singh noted that questions are now being raised about why people were shifted from Churachandpur and Moreh to Imphal Valley and vice versa, but if they had not been moved and incidents had occurred, it would have created frustration. 

He said mobs of tens of thousands had assembled and firing indiscriminately was not an option. Singh alleged that there are many working to sabotage the peace process, citing incidents of arson in the Jiribam district a day after peace initiatives were announced. 

Despite this, he said signs of peace are emerging, with 133 people who had fled Jiribam recently returning home. 

The government is working to ensure other displaced people also return home. Since May last year, more than 200 people have been killed and thousands rendered homeless due to ethnic violence between Imphal Valley-based Meiteis and hills-based Kukis.