Chief of Defence Staff General Anil Chauhan on Tuesday said violence in Manipur has nothing to do with counter-insurgency.
Manipur has been witnessing violence for over a month, sparked by the eviction of Kuki villagers from reserve forest land.
Chief of Defence Staff General Anil Chauhan on Tuesday said violence in Manipur has nothing to do with counter-insurgency.
Chauhan said instead the violence in Manipur is a clash between two ethnicities, said the report in NDTV.
Manipur has been witnessing violence for over a month, sparked by the eviction of Kuki villagers from reserve forest land.
It has led to a series of smaller agitations, as tensions over land and political representation have boiled over.
"The situation in Manipur is nothing to do with counter-insurgency and is primarily a clash between two ethnicities. It's a law and order kind of situation and we are helping the state government," General Chauhan was quoted in the report as having said.
It added: "We've done an excellent job and saved a large number of lives. The challenges in Manipur have not disappeared and it will take some time but hopefully, they should settle down.”
Earlier, Union Home Minister Amit Shah met the Governor of Manipur Anusuiya Uikey and Chief Minister N Biren Singh's council of ministers after he visited the violence hit state.
Shah met the state top brass from Army and bureaucracy. Besides, he also held a series of meeting with the civil society organizations, and influential community leaders to finalise a strategy to curb ethnic violence in the state.
Clashes broke out in Manipur on May 3 following a solidarity march by tribals to protest against the Meiteis, who comprise 64 per cent of the state's population, and their demand for a Scheduled Tribe status. Over 80 people have died, properties worth crores torched, and thousands forced to evacuate due to the violence that has gripped the state since the march