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23 houses set ablaze in clash despite prohibitory orders in Manipur village
In Manipur, 23 houses were burned in Litan village amid an indefinite curfew following a clash between two community groups, prompting increased security.
Twenty-three houses were set ablaze in a Manipur village on Sunday night despite an indefinite curfew in the area, officials said on Monday. The incident was the fallout of an altercation on Saturday between a Tangkhul Naga group and a Kuki group in Litan Sareikhong village in Ukhrul district at 8.30pm, they said.
During the altercation, one man, Sterling Shimray, who is from the nearby Sakibung village, sustained an injury to his jaw, following which tension erupted between the two villages, police said.
The district magistrate then issued a prohibitory order with effect from 7pm Sunday, saying “as per report from reliable source there is an apprehension that could lead to breach of peace and public tranquillity at Litan village between the two community i.e. Tangkhul and Kuki.”
Defying the order, a large number of protestors came out on the road on Sunday night and some of them fired live rounds. They set ablaze at least 23 houses belonging to the Naga community in the area, said officials. Video clips on social media showed some youths torching houses in Litan village belonging to Tangkhul Naga community.
Additional security forces have been deployed in the area to control law and order situation. A senior police officer said the situation is under control but there is still tension in the village and no individuals have been arrested in connection with the incident.
The injured man, Shimray, is undergoing treatment at Regional Institute of Medical Science (RIMS), Imphal.
Chief Minister Yumnam Khemchand, while visiting the victim at the hospital on Monday, called for peace between the villagers. “I condemned the incident in Litan. Both communities belong to the Christian religion, so I appealed to them to forgive and forget to bring peace and harmony.”
Besides, state transport department has added a special helicopter service for Imphal-Ukhrul-Imphal in view of the convenience to the general public and transportation.
A statement on Monday by the additional chief secretary (transport) of Manipur, Anurag Bajpai, said, “The government has scheduled one sortie of special helicopter service for Tuesday i.e. February 10, for Imphal-Ukhrul-Imphal. The government is also working on scheduling two helicopter sorties on Wednesday i.e. February 11 for Imphal-Ukhrul-Imphal. These special helicopter services are scheduled over and above the regular schedule.”
