Twenty-three houses were torched in a village in Manipur on Sunday night despite an indefinite curfew in the area, officials said on Monday. The incident occurred at 8.30 pm on Saturday at Liton Sareikhong village in Ukhrul district following a clash between a Tangkhul Naga group and a Kuki group, they said.
Chief Minister of Manipur. (my)During the scuffle, a man, Sterling Shimre, who belongs to nearby Sakibung village, was injured in his jaw, following which tension broke out between the two villages, police said.
The District Magistrate then issued a prohibitory order from 7 pm on Sunday saying, “According to reports from reliable sources there is an apprehension which may disturb the peace and tranquility between two communities i.e. Tangkhul and Kuki in Litan village.”
Defying the order, a large number of protesters took to the streets on Sunday night and some of them fired live rounds. They torched at least 23 houses of the Naga community in the area, officials said. Video clips on social media showed some youths torching houses in Litan village of Tangkhul Naga community.
Additional security forces have been deployed in the area to control the law and order situation. A senior police officer said the situation is under control but tension is still rife in the village and no one has been arrested in connection with the incident.
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The injured person, Shimre, is undergoing treatment at the Regional Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS) in Imphal.
Chief Minister Yumnam Khemchand, visiting the victim at the hospital on Monday, called for peace among the villagers. “I have condemned the incident in Litan. Both communities belong to Christianity, so I have appealed to them to forgive and forget to bring peace and harmony.”
Also, the State Transport Department has added a special helicopter service for Imphal-Ukhrul-Imphal for the convenience and transportation of the general public.
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A statement by Manipur Additional Chief Secretary (Transport) Anurag Vajpayee on Monday said, “Government has scheduled one type of special helicopter service for Imphal-Ukhrul-Imphal on Tuesday i.e. February 10. Government is also working on scheduling two helicopter flights on Wednesday i.e. February 11. Scheduled over and above the regular schedule.”
