On May 4, members of the Kuki and Meitei communities fought in the state’s capital. Conflict broke out in Nongrim Hills, close to the Mizo Morden School. 16 members of both communities were detained by the police after they acted quickly.
Two communities were cautioned by the police that anyone attempting to stir up trouble or encourage violence would face stern action in order to preserve peace and order.
The clashes in Manipur escalated overnight after thousands of tribal members from the Naga and Kuki tribes participated in a “Tribal Solidarity March” to protest the demand that the Meitei community be classified as a Scheduled Tribe. The Meghalaya violence incident was reported the next day. Approximately 40% of the people in the state are Nagas and Kukis.
The Indian Army and Assam Rifles were stationed in at least six districts to handle the situation.
To stop the violence from escalating out of control, the Manipur administration was forced to give orders to shoot-at-sight in “extreme cases”.
The Imphal East and West districts occasionally saw arson attacks. People expressed gratitude to the Indian Army and the Assam Rifles for acting quickly to seize control of the situation.
Army said that situation in Manipur has been brought under control. “The situation has been brought under control through coordinated actions by all stakeholders. IAF undertook continuous sorties from two airfields in Assam employing C17 Globemaster and AN 32 aircraft,” Indian Army stated.
Through a video conference meeting with the state’s Chief Minister N Biren Singh and other top officials, Union Home Minister Amit Shah is continuously assessing the situation in Manipur.
The Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) were sent by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) with 10 additional companies on Friday to the violent Manipur.
