Tense calm as curfew eased in parts of violence-hit Manipur

GUWAHATI,MAY 8:  A tense calm prevailed in Manipur on Sunday after days of ethnic violence. Curfew was relaxed for some time in parts of the state including the Churachandpur district, the epicenter of violence, with security forces keeping a close watch on the situation.

People were seen coming out in large numbers to buy essential items. Immediately after the relaxation period ended, personnel of the Army and Assam Rifles staged a flag march in the areas.  “The past 24 hours saw the Army significantly increasing surveillance efforts through aerial surveillance, movement of UAVs, and redeployment of Army helicopters within the Imphal Valley,” an official statement said.

So far, around 23,000 civilians have been evacuated from conflict areas. They are housed into military garrisons. A few thousand fled to neighbouring states of Assam and Mizoram.   Meanwhile, several states started evacuating their people from Manipur. A multi-agency team evacuated 676 Nagas by buses to Nagaland on Sunday. The Meghalaya government evacuated over 100 students on commercial flights. The governments of Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, and West Bengal are also taking measures to evacuate their people.

-The New Indian Express