Manipur Congress chief welcomes decision on 'free movement' of people after Amit Shah's meeting

He termed the move to open free movement from March 8 as a "very welcome step". The Congress leader, however, also questioned why the decision was not taken earlier when there was a BJP government.

"The meeting chaired by Home Minister Amit Shah in Delhi and the outcomes of the meeting are a welcome step. The free movement should be open from 8th March. There is no doubt that it is a very welcome step. But why was this decision not taken earlier when there was a BJP government?" the Manipur Congress Chief told reporters.

He also supported the decision on border fencing, calling it a "long-standing demand" of the people.

"It is a good decision, and this was a long demand of the people here," he said.

Home Minister Amit Shah chaired a high-level review meeting on Saturday in the national capital on the security situation in Manipur and directed that from March 8, free movement of the public should be ensured on all routes in Manipur.

The meeting was attended by the Governor of Manipur, Union Home Secretary, Director, Intelligence Bureau, Deputy Chief of Army Staff, Army Commander of the Eastern Command, Directors General of Border Security Force (BSF), Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and Assam Rifles, Security Advisor, Manipur and senior officers of the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), Army and Manipur administration.

During the meeting, the Union Home Minister said that the Government of India, under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, remains fully committed to restoring lasting peace in Manipur and is providing all necessary assistance in this regard.

Shah directed that free movement be ensured for people on all roads in Manipur from March 8, 2025.

He also directed that strict action should be taken against anyone attempting to create obstructions.

Amit Shah directed that the fencing work on both sides of the designated entry points along Manipur's international border should be completed at the earliest.

He said that to make Manipur drug-free, the entire network involved in the drug trade should be dismantled.

On February 13, the President's rule was imposed in Manipur after receiving a report from the state governor.

The proclamation, published in the Gazette of India and issued by the Union Home Ministry, states that the powers of the Manipur Legislative Assembly will be transferred to Parliament, effectively suspending the state government's authority.

In November last year, Amit Shah convened a detailed high-level review meeting with senior officials in the national capital to assess the current security situation in Manipur. (ANI)