Manipur: 51 Kuki Students Evacuated From Ukhrul School After Fresh Ethnic Tension
Thirty-one boys and 20 girls were transported to Kangpokpi, a Kuki-majority district, under security escort. Police said the decision was taken to ensure the safety of the students as tensions continued in parts of Ukhrul
Guwahati: The Manipur police on Tuesday said that they have evacuated 51 Kuki students from Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya (JNV) Ramva in Manipur’s Ukhrul district following days of tension between the Tangkhul Naga and Kuki communities triggered by an assault case on February 7.
Describing evacuation as a precautionary step amid simmering tension between communities, security sources said that the move came after clashes in the Litan Sareikhong area that left around 30 houses burnt in the Naga-majority district.
Police statement said, “The Ukhrul District Police have evacuated 51 students of Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya Ramva School in Ukhrul and handed them over to the Saikul police station team for onward movement to the JNV in Kangpokpi district.”
Thirty-one boys and 20 girls were transported to Kangpokpi, a Kuki-majority district, under security escort. Police said the decision was taken to ensure the safety of the students as tensions continued in parts of Ukhrul.
During the evacuation, some residents reportedly mistook the students for miscreants, briefly raising tensions. Police said local civil society organisations intervened to calm the situation. “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.
The state authorities have appealed to all communities to exercise restraint and avoid spreading rumours that could worsen the situation.
The latest violence was triggered by a drunken altercation between two groups on the evening of February 7 in Litan, a commercial town inhabited by both Tangkhul Nagas and Kukis. The incident escalated into broader clashes over the following days.
Police admitted that tension has been simmering between the Tangkhul Naga tribe and the Kukis in Ukhrul for over a week, during which around 30 houses were burnt in violence at the Litan Sareikhong area but under control.
