A Few Schools Reopen In Manipur After Two Months Of Violence

A few schools in Manipur have reopened nearly two months after the first ethnic clash broke out in the state on May 3.

Teachers and students return to Little Flower School in Imphal after two months.

Source : ANI

In some semblance of a return to normalcy, a few schools in Manipur, including Little Flower School in Imphal and The Regular English High School in Kwakeithel, reopened on Wednesday. A few other schools have been exempted from reopening as they are presently involved in providing relief measures.

Violence in Manipur still persists, despite the government and Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma's assurance that normalcy is returning to the state. A mob tried to loot weapons from an India Reserve Battalion (IRB) at Khangabok in the Thoubal district of Manipur on Tuesday. But the attempt was thwarted by Security Forces. The Spear Corps of the Indian Army said that one rioter was killed while a few others were injured during the failed attempt. It said that the mob had also laid roadblocks to prevent the movement of reinforcements. However, situation was brought under control with the help of additional columns of Assam Rifles and Rapid Action Force.

"An attempt to loot weapons from an India Reserve Battalion at Khangabok in Thoubal district of #Manipur was successfully thwarted by Security Forces today. One rioter was killed while few others were injured during the failed attempt. Mob had laid road blocks to prevent movement of reinforcements. However, additional columns of Assam Rifles and Rapid Action Force were able to induct and situation was brought under control by synergised efforts of Security Forces," the Spear Corps said in a statement on Twitter.

Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma on July 1 said that the situation in violence-hit Manipur is relatively better. “I think the situation in Manipur is improving day by day and I am of the view that in the next one week or 10 days, more improvement will take place," he said.

Manipur CM N Biren Singh earlier said that bunkers established in hill and valley districts would be dismantled, and additional state security forces would be deployed to ensure the safety of farmers from the Meitei and Kuki communities, enabling agricultural activities to resume.

Regarding the security situation, Chief Minister N Biren Singh stated, as reported by ANI, that the government had made the decision to deploy more security personnel in five districts.

According to a statement issued by the Manipur police on Monday, there have been tense situations in certain areas with sporadic incidents of firing and the gathering of unruly mobs in the past 24 hours.

The statement also mentioned that the state police and central troops conducted a comprehensive search operation lasting 24 hours in vulnerable and peripheral regions of both hill and valley districts.

"The intervening night of July 1 and 2, witnessed intermittent firing between armed miscreants in the neighbouring villages of Chinglangmei and Langza, Samulamlam Block, Churachandpur District. One person was reported dead, and another person sustained injuries during the incident. Security forces promptly launched an operation and successfully repelled the armed miscreants," stated the official statement.