Imphal

Police have evacuated at least 51 Kuki students from a school in Manipur’s Naga-majority Ukhrul district as a precautionary measure following clashes between the two communities, officials said on Monday.

Tension has been simmering between the Tangkhul Naga tribe and the Kukis in Ukhrul for over a week, during which around 30 houses were reportedly burnt in violence at the Litan Sareikhong area.

“The Ukhrul District Police have evacuated 51 students of Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya, Ramva, Ukhrul, and handed them over to the Saikul police station team for onward movement to the JNV in Kangpokpi district,” police said in a statement.

Of the evacuated students, 31 were boys and 20 girls. They were shifted to Kangpokpi, a Kuki-majority district, as a safety measure in view of the prevailing law and order situation.

During the evacuation, some members of the public initially mistook the students for miscreants, police said. However, local civil society organisations stepped in and helped the administration de-escalate tensions.

“Their efforts in persuading villagers across the Shangshak, Ramva, Shokvao, TM Kasom and S Laho areas ensured the safe evacuation of the students,” the statement added.

Police appealed to all communities to exercise restraint and refrain from spreading rumours that could further inflame the situation.

The clashes between the Kukis and the Nagas reportedly began after a drunken brawl between two groups on the evening of February 7 at Litan, a commercial town inhabited by members of both communities.

Manipur has been witnessing prolonged ethnic violence for nearly three years, primarily between the Meitei and Kuki communities. The unrest began in May 2023 following a ‘Tribal Solidarity March’ in the hill districts against the Meitei community’s demand for Scheduled Tribe status. At least 260 people have been killed and thousands displaced since then.

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President’s Rule was imposed in the state on February 13 last year. Manipur recently got a new chief minister, Y Khemchand Singh, who was sworn in earlier this month.