Indus Valley Times

Manipur,June 2 :  At least 98 people have been killed and over 300 injured since ethnic clashes broke out in Manipur last month. Clashes broke out after a Tribal Solidarity March in 10 districts on May 3 to protest against the Meitei community’s demand for Scheduled Tribe (ST) status.

Since then, deadly violence has raged in several parts of the state. The violence was preceded by tension over the eviction of Kuki villagers from reserve forest land, which had led to a series of smaller agitations.

Meiteis account for about 53 per cent of Manipur’s population and live mostly in the Imphal Valley. Tribals — Nagas and Kukis — constitute another 40 percent of the population and reside in the hill districts.

However, the situation in Manipur seems to have improved and a curfew imposed in the wake of violence has been relaxed in several districts. In Imphal West, Imphal East, and Bishnupur, the curfew has been relaxed for 12 hours.

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In Jiribam, the curfew has been relaxed for 8 hours, from 8 am to 4 pm. Similarly, Thoubal and Kakching will experience a relaxation of 7 hours, from 5 am to 12 pm. Churachandpur and Chandel districts will have a curfew relaxation period of 10 hours, starting from 5 am and ending at 3 pm.

Tengnoupal district will experience an 8-hour relaxation period, from 6 am to 2 pm, while Kangpokpi will have an extended relaxation of 11 hours, from 6 am to 5 pm. Pherzawl district will enjoy the longest curfew relaxation period of 12 hours, from 6 am to 6 pm.

Meanwhile, there will be no curfew in Tamenglong, Noney, Senapati, Ukhrul, and Kamjong districts, indicating a return to normalcy in these areas.

According to official figures, over 4,000 cases of arson have been reported since violence gripped Manipur. During the clashes between Meitei and Kuki communities, properties worth crores were torched and thousands were forced to evacuate.

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Meanwhile, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, who concluded his four-day visit to the violence-hit state yesterday, has said that a judicial probe headed by a retired high court chief justice to inquire into clashes will be announced soon.

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Talking about the origin of the clashes which rocked Manipur, Amit Shah said ethnic rioting began after the Manipur High Court on April 29 “hurriedly” sought the views of the state government on granting Scheduled Tribe status to a community.

-PTI