Centre mulls extra forces to clear Manipur blockade

NEW DELHI: The Centre is mulling sending additional paramilitary personnel to Manipur to assist the state in clearing the blockade on two national highways if the agitating Nagas continue to stick to their plan to cut off the state from the rest of the northeast.

People in the state are facing problems due to shortage of essential commodities because of the blockade on NH-39 (Imphal-Dimapur) and 53 (Imphal-Jiribam) by Naga protesters who have been agitating for over a month against Manipur’s decision of not allowing NSCN (IM) leader T Muivah to visit his ancestral village.

Sources in the home ministry said that though the state police personnel were there, nothing substantial had been achieved on the ground. The Center would have to send additional paramilitary personnel if the situation did not improve, they added.

Organisations like the Joint Parliamentary Working Committee of Nagaland Assembly, Churches of Nagaland and Manipur and All Assam Students Union had already appealed to the Naga Students’ Federation ( NSF) to lift the blockade on the two highways on humanitarian ground.

“We expect the Naga leaders will listen to such appeal. Otherwise, we will have to take strict action by using force”, said a senior official here. Union home secretary G K Pillai had visited Manipur to take stock of the situation last week.