IMPHAL, September 5: A high level committee comprising the Union additional secretary (Home) Rajiv Gauba, Joint secretary (North East in-charge) Sambhu Singh and Special secretary (Internal Security) Prakash Mishra arrived in the state to take stock of the situation here after the Ukhrul incident and left at around 5.30pm today.
This was stated by deputy Chief Minister Gaikhangam at a press conference in his office chamber today evening.
The Central government is ready to help the state government under any circumstance, he said.
CrPC Section 144 which is now being imposed in Ukhrul will be lifted tomorrow from 6am to 6pm as a trial run and if the law and order situation improves it will be removed completely, said Gaikhangam.
Relaxing Section 144 for a day doesn’t mean that the government is scared or acting under pressure from the Centre, it is only being lifted as a mark of good gesture like parents do to placate children when they throw tantrums for some demands, he added.
The representatives met the Chief Minister, Governor and other officials, the deputy CM said, adding that a series of meetings were convened to improve the situation and arranging security for bringing in essential commodities with officials of the paramilitary forces and state forces today.
The Central government representatives have arrived as a result of the meeting between the CM and deputy CM with the Union Home Minister recently during which they informed the Union Home minister about the ground reality in Manipur.
The State government has taken all possible steps to provide all the essential communities like fuel, LPG etc even during the bandh called by UNC which began on September 4, Gaikhangam said.
Continuing that the State forces will be deployed along with the Assam Rifles and the Army for security purposes, he said all the essential goods will be provided during the bandh without any shortages.
He also appealed the public to refrain from calling frequent bandhs which affects the public.
Gaikhangam said the assassination of an ADC member, (L) Ngalangzar Malue, on July 12 was not the first incident as many people have been killed in ambush attacks in the past. More than 200 civilians have been killed, he added.
The government deployed the State security forces to bring peace and control the law and order condition in Ukhrul because the government could not remain a mute spectator when people broke law with impunity, said the deputy CM.
He added that many people appreciated the state government for its bold actions.
The unfortunate incident on August 30 broke out only after the purported peaceful rally turned violent and the protestors started thrashing five Manipur police personnel including an SDPO and snatched their service guns and burn down government vehicles, the deputy Chief Minister said, adding that the police personnel remain calm under the extremely tense situation and refused to be provoked but had to act in self defense.
If police personnel had acted in a cavalier manner, many more lives could have been lost with more several injuries, he said.
He further said that the government is trying to bring an amicable solution but is aware that a big organization is behind the mess in Ukhrul.
