Manipur Govt Announces To Open Schools, Colleges From November 29 In Imphal Valley

Educational institutes in these districts have remained closed since November 16 after the dead bodies of three women and three children in Jiribam were recovered from the Jiri and Barak rivers.

Police and security personnel during a search operation in the fringe and vulnerable areas of hill and valley districts of Manipur.

Source : PTI

Imphal, Nov 28 (PTI): The Manipur government on Thursday announced that classes in schools and colleges in Imphal Valley districts and Jiribam would resume from November 29 after a hiatus of 13 days.

Educational institutes in these districts have remained closed since November 16 after the dead bodies of three women and three children in Jiribam were recovered from the Jiri and Barak rivers in Manipur and Assam respectively.

An order issued by the Directorate of Education- Schools said, "Normal classes will resume for all schools of the state, government, government aided, private and central schools from November 29." The government educational institutions or government-aided colleges under the Higher and Technical Education Department, including state universities, will resume classes with effect from Friday, a separate order said.

Violence escalated in Manipur after three women and three children belonging to the Meitei community had gone missing from a relief camp in Jiribam after a gunfight between security forces and suspected Kuki-Zo militants resulted in the deaths of 10 insurgents on November 11.

Bodies of those six were later found.

Meanwhile, the state government ordered relaxation of curfew from 5 am to 4 pm on Friday in all five valley districts to enable people to purchase essential items and medicines, according to an official order.

"Due to developing law and orders situation in the district, there is need to relax restriction on movement of people to facilitate the public to purchase essential items including medicines and food items. Restriction of movement of people outside their residences is hereby lifted for Friday from 5 am to 4 pm" according to a government order.

District Magistrates of Imphal East, Imphal West, Bishnupur, Kakching and Thoubal issued the order separately.

"The relaxation, however, shall not include any gathering/ sit-in protest/ rally without obtaining approval through competent authority" the order read.

More than 250 people have been killed and thousands rendered homeless in ethnic violence between Imphal Valley-based Meiteis and adjoining hills-based Kuki-Zo groups since May last year. 

(This report has been published as part of the auto-generated syndicate wire feed. Apart from the headline, no editing has been done in the copy by ABP Live.)