Trains to Manipur cancelled due to prevailing situation

Trains to Manipur have been cancelled with immediate effect due to the prevailing law and order situation in the state, a Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) spokesperson said here on Friday.

“The only two trains that connect Manipur have been cancelled for two days from Friday,” NFR CPRO Sabyasachi De told PTI.

The decision on resuming the service will be taken after evaluating the situation, he said. The Agartala–Khongsang Jan Satabdi Express, which runs on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, and the daily Silchar–Vangaichungpao passenger train have been short-terminated/originated, he said. “These trains will be short-terminated at Arunachal railway station on the Assam border,” De said.

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Violence had erupted in Torbung area in Manipur's Churachandpur district during a 'Tribal Solidarity March' on Wednesday to protest the demand of Meiteis for Scheduled Tribe(ST) status and escalated throughout the state. Meiteis account for about 53 per cent of the population in Manipur and live mostly in Imphal Valley. Tribals, who include Nagas and Kukis, account for another 40 per cent of the population and live mostly in the hill districts which surround the valley.

Imphal Valley remained peaceful but tense on Friday. There were, however, intermittent gunfights between militant groups and security forces were reported from the hill districts surrounding the valley.