Clash with Nagas: Police evacuate 51 Kuki students from Manipur’s Ukhrul

Imphal: The 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, a statement said on Monday.

Tension had been simmering between Tangkhul Naga tribe and the Kukis in Ukhrul for more than a week, as around 30 houses were burnt during clashes at Litan Sareikhong area in Ukhrul district.

"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," the police said in a statement.

Thirty-one male and 20 female students were sent to Kangpokpi, a Kuki-majority district.

Police said the students were evacuated as a precautionary measure due to the prevailing law and order situation in the district.

During the evacuation process, some members of the public mistook the students for miscreants, the police said, adding that local civil society organisations helped the administration in de-escalating tension.

"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 also appealed to all communities to maintain restraint and refrain from spreading rumours.

The violence between the Kukis and the Nagas began following a drunken brawl between two groups on the evening of February 7 at Litan, a commercial town and home to both communities.

For nearly three years, Manipur has been rocked by ethnic violence between the Meitei and Kuki communities. It started in May 2023 after a 'Tribal Solidarity March' was organised in the hill districts to protest against the Meitei community's demand for Scheduled Tribe (ST) status. At least 260 people lost their lives in the clashes, and thousands were displaced.

Presidents' Rule was imposed in the state on February 13 last year, while the state got a new chief minister in Y Khemchand Singh, who was sworn in earlier this month.