According to reports, Army Chief Gen. Manoj Pande would examine the situation in the violently disturbed state of Manipur on Saturday.
During his two-day visit to the state, the Army Chief will also be accompanied by Lt Gen Rana Pratap Kalita, the commander of the Eastern Army.
According to a senior Army source, Pande and Kalita would go from Delhi to Imphal to assess the situation there against the background of continued interethnic violence.
“Pande will meet with the Governor, Chief Minister, and Security Advisor to discuss the situation,” he said.
Along with meeting the ground commanders, including those from different forces, Gen. Pande and Lt. Gen. Kalita will assess the law and order situation.
According to Army sources, Gen. Pande is expected returning on Sunday, while Lt. Gen. Kalita is likely to remain behind for the visit of Union Home Minister Amit Shah to Manipur starting on Monday.
After a “Tribal Solidarity March” was held throughout the hill districts on May 3 to oppose the Meitei community’s demand for Scheduled Tribe (ST) status, fighting broke out in Manipur.
Tension over the displacement of Kuki people from reserve forest area had caused a number of local agitations before to the violence.
The majority of Meiteis, who make up around 53% of Manipur’s population, reside in the Imphal Valley. Another 40% of the population is made up of the Naga and Kuki tribes, who live in the hill areas.
Over 70 people were killed during the ethnic conflicts, and 10,000 army and paramilitary men had to be sent in to restore order in the northeastern state.