The Manipur Army said that amid conflicts in numerous districts, the situation has been stabilised in Moreh and Kangpokpi, and that attempts are being made to return things to normal in Churachandpur and the state’s capital, Imphal.
After violence in the state spread to Imphal on Thursday, the Manipur government issued “shoot at sight” orders in “extreme cases”. To stop the violence from spiralling out of control, the Rapid Action Force (RAF) was flown in and 55 army columns were deployed.
Sources claim that the centre is sending more troops right away to the state. Forces will be airlifted from Assam’s Guwahati and Tezpur by the Indian Air Force (IAF). Former CRPF commander Kuldeep Singh has been named Manipur’s security advisor, and senior IPS officer Ashutosh Sinha has been named the overall commander in charge of the state’s peacekeeping efforts.
Amit Shah, the union’s minister of the interior, won’t be going to Manipur today. In order to examine the situation in the state, Mr. Shah met with the senior national and state bodies through video conference on Thursday and spoke with the chief ministers of Manipur and its bordering states.
Over 9,000 people from various districts have been evacuated and given shelter in special camps, despite the fact that the government has not yet confirmed how many people have been killed, if any, or how many have been injured in the clashes. A total of 5,000 people have been relocated to Churachandpur, 2,000 to Imphal Valley, and 2,000 to the border town of Moreh.
“The government is making every effort to uphold the rule of law. The lives and property of all of our people are important to us, the chief minister of Manipur, N Biren Singh, said on Thursday.
Conrad K. Sangma, the chief minister of Meghalaya, ordered authorities to evacuate his state’s students who were enrolled in a number of Manipur schools and universities on Thursday in the wake of the violence.
The unrest started on Wednesday during demonstrations by different Manipur tribal groups over a court decision about Scheduled Tribe status.
The non-tribal Meitei community’s quest for Scheduled Tribe classification prompted the All Tribal Student Union Manipur (ATSUM) to organise a “Tribal Solidarity March” in the Churachandpur district’s Torbung area. Thousands attended the march, which saw violence break out between some tribal groups and non-tribals, according to the police.
The Manipur valley is home to the Meitei, who make up the majority in the state. According to the Meitei, “large-scale illegal immigration by Myanmarese and Bangladeshis” is the cause of their difficulties. The Meiteies are prohibited from settling in the state’s hilly regions by current law.
Due to the volatile environment in the state, curfews have been imposed in the tribally dominant Churachandpur, Kangpokpi, and Tengnoupal districts as well as the non-tribal Imphal West, Kakching, Thoubal, Jiribam, and Bishnupur districts and internet services have been suspended statewide until Monday.
