Correspondent
IMPHAL, NOV 1 (NPN): Even after atleast five people died in two separate incidents over the weekend, Manipur chief minister Yumnam Khemchand Singh continued to appeal for peaceful coexistence among the different communities.
At least five Kuki men were killed in two separate incidents in the last two days, triggering fresh tensions between Kuki and Naga groups in the troubled-state.
Three Kuki men suspected to be militants involved in an armed attack on a Naga village were killed in an exchange of fire with Naga village guards at Kekru, a Naga village under Nungba police station of Noney district on Saturday.
The reported exchange of fire was a continuation of the armed clashes reported in the area for the last three days after a group of suspected Kuki militants launched an attack on Tazeikauphun on October 29.
It was followed by today’s recovery of bodies of two Kuki men who had gone missing earlier in the week.
Their bodies were recovered from a place on the eastern side of NH-2 in Senapati district adjoining Kangpokpi district today during a joint search operation involving Manipur police, the CRPF, CoBRA, Assam Rifles and the Rapid Action Force.
The recovery of the bodies heightened the tensions in already tense Kangpokpi district following the kidnapping of the two youths on October 28.
Since Y Khemchand Singh assumed the office of the chief minister in February this year, he and his government were said to have been putting their efforts to restore peace and normalcy in the state.
The chief minister has been appealing to the people of the state to embrace the notion of forget and forgive while urging members of all communities to work for regaining the trust deficit on almost every occasion he attended. Even on Sunday, Singh urged all communities to work together towards making Manipur a peaceful state where people from different communities live together in harmony and mutual understanding.
The chief minister was addressing at the 35th Coral Jubilee Celebration of Brahma Kumaris Manipur in Imphal’s Bhagyachandra Open Air Theatre (BOAT).
Highlighting the role of Brahma Kumaris, he said that Brahma Kumaris began its journey in Manipur in 1992 and has continued its mission of selfless service with humility, dedication and sincerity.
He urged all participants to pray to God for peace, harmony and peaceful coexistence among all communities in the state.
Singh stated that scholars have often emphasized that meditation helps remove negativity and cultivate positive thoughts, thereby contributing to the establishment of a peaceful society with a positive outlook.