Inclusion of Biren Singh in peace committee opposed by ITLF

Imphal: The Indigenous Tribal Leaders Forum (ITLF) has said it will boycott the Peace Committee, which was formed by the central government to restore normalcy in Manipur.

In fact, the ITLF, which has the support of the Kuki community in Manipur, condemned the inclusion of Chief Minister N Biren Singh in the peace committee.
The ITLF termed Manipur Chief Minister Biren Singh as the “perpetrator of the ongoing violence” in the state.

It may be noted that tribal organizations in Manipur have been accusing the Chief Minister of Manipur, the state police and a couple of Meitei groups of inciting violence in the state.
“His (N Biren Singh) constant rhetoric and hate speech against the Kuki-Zo community, wholesale tagging the Kuki-Zo community as drug dealers, terrorists, and illegal immigrants Meitei Leepun chief Pramot Singh directly casts a shadow over the open declaration of genocide by the national media and by Meitei groups declaring a proxy war of ‘Chin-Kuki narco-terror’.
“Such routines cannot be sustained unless the state police and Meitei militant groups are given free rein to terrorize the Kuki-zo tribal villages in the foothills,” it said.
The 51-member peace committee formed by the central government is headed by Manipur Governor Anusuiya Uikey.

The committee also includes some state ministers, MPs, MLAs, leaders of various political parties and representatives of civil society organizations.