Advani grills CM's team, asks for performance fact sheet today

IMPHAL, January 2: The State chief minister, W Nipamacha Singh, was closely grilled and reprimanded by Union home minister LK Advani during their meeting in New Delhi this morning regarding an 11 point agenda the Union Home ministry had set the state government, primarily regarding counter-insurgency measures, according to sources. The meeting, which began at 9.45 am this morning, lasted for an hour, and was attended by, apart from the chief minister, deputy CM L Chandramani and IFCD minister Ksh Biren. Sources said the discussions were incomplete today, and would be continued tomorrow afternoon. It is reliably learnt that the state team has been asked to submit a fact sheet on the state government's performance during tomorrow's meeting. According to the sources, the 11-point agenda, primarily counter-insurgency measures to be implemented by the State Government, was set by the Union Home ministry last month, and the chief minister has been asked to submit the state government's action taken report on the same. Among other things, the Union home ministry asked the State government to place the 11th and 12th IRB directly under the DGP and use them exclusively for counter-insurgency operations. The state Government was reportedly given seven days to carry out this out. Further, the Union ministry wanted NSA detenees currently in Manipur to be transferred outside the State, within a period of 30 days. It also wanted deployment of CRPF and police personnel to guard the secretariat/mini-secretariat, and head offices of government departments, and measures implemented to prevent entry of underground elements. The ministry also sought separation of state police from state intelligence, and gave the state government 30 days in this regard. It demanded action, including suspension and dismissal, of police personnel guilty of giving up arms to militants without resistance, and particularly sought suspension and prosecution of the SDPO, Jiribam. In addition, it wanted at least two battalions of the Manipur Rifles transferred out of the state, for possible posting in Jammu and Kashmir, and their replacement by two battalions of a Central Police Organization. The other points in the Union ministry's agenda include setting aside of Rs 50 lakhs as secret service fund in the budget for the state police, formulation and implementation of a counter-militancy plan, issue of notification under Article 6 of the Delhi Police Service Establishment Act for allowing the CBI a free hand to make its own investigations, and grant of special sanction to investigate for the Central agency to investigate the Manipur lotteries scam.