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Manipur tense day after 1 killed in fresh violence

By, Imphal/new Delhi
May 26, 2023 12:24 AM IST

A day after fresh incidents of ethnic violence were reported from parts of Manipur, the state returned to a sense of tenuous calm on Thursday.

A day after fresh incidents of ethnic violence were reported from parts of Manipur, the state returned to a sense of tenuous calm on Thursday, with a strict curfew reimposed in Imphal and Bishnupur; but worried residents continued to stay indoors, and businesses counted their losses.

Shops remain shut at a market in Imphal on Thursday, a day after fresh clashes erupted in Manipur. (PTI)
Shops remain shut at a market in Imphal on Thursday, a day after fresh clashes erupted in Manipur. (PTI)

Senior government officials in Manipur said no further violence was reported from the northeastern state on Thursday, but personnel were deployed in strategic locations to keep the fragile peace, and more would be brought in over the next few days.

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Manipur has been witnessing bouts of ethnic clashes since May 3 when tribal Kuki groups called for protests against a proposed tweak to the state’s reservation matrix, granting scheduled tribe (ST) status to the Meitei community that forms 53% of the state population. Violence quickly engulfed the state where ethnic fault lines run deep, leaving over 73 people dead, over 200 injured, and over 30,000 people displaced, fleeing arson and attacks.

While a majority of the violence took place in multiple districts over three days between May 3 and 5 after which the army was called in, sporadic incidents have continued to erupt, delaying any efforts at restoring normalcy, and showing that ethnic divisions continue to run deep, and there has been little reconciliation.

On Wednesday, one person was shot dead and another suffered bullet injuries in Bishnupur district, which remained relatively peaceful thus far, and three abandoned homes were set ablaze by suspected militants. There were also reports of homes being burnt in localities in Imphal.

Kuldiep Singh, former CRPF DG who was appointed security advisor to the state after the clashes began, said: “There is no violence in Bishnupur and Imphal but the situation is still tense. The security forces are still present on the spot. Our areas of concern are in places near the hills because these are regions where the two groups coexist. There are isolated places where people are indulging in violence because of rumour mongering. We are taking action.”

Singh added that over the next few days, 20 more companies of paramilitary forces will be deployed in disturbed areas. “More senior army and paramilitary officers will also be brought in to handle the situation,” he said.

Senior police officials said that there was one incident reported from Kangpokpi district, where suspected militants attempted to abduct five Meiteis. “But local villagers managed to chase them. One young boy was kidnapped, but later rescued by security forces,” a senior officer said.

On Thursday, with the reimposition of a curfew, Imphal’s busy Khwairamband Keithel locality was desolate, with shutters across shops and business establishments closed. Transport services, from local services between villages and districts, to those that run between states, all suspended their regular routes.

For people like auto-rickshaw driver Harojit Singh, a Meitei, the fresh clashes mean a continuation of a sense of fear, exacerbated by the loss of daily wage. “The situation is very tense. Complete curfew has been clamped in Imphal city after some houses were set on fire in the New Chekon area on May 23. I have not earned a rupee in three days,” Singh said.

In Churachandpur, a hill district where the Kukis are a majority, locals said that they were facing an increasing shortage of daily supplies. “LPG cylinders are very difficult to get, several essential medicines required for those with diabetes and high blood pressure are running low, and we can’t send or receive money online because of the internet shutdown,” said a Kuki politician based in the district.

Letlunthang Haokip, a Kuki who fled to a relief camp that he still occupies said, “We are being shifted from one camp to another. Some have fled to Assam, but our people are scared of returning home to West Imphal.”

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