Special flight to bring back Maha students trapped in violence-hit Manipur: CM Shinde

Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde said on Sunday that a special flight will be arranged for students from the state who are currently stuck in riot-hit Manipur.

Violent clashes recently broke out between tribal members and members of the majority Meitei community in Manipur, which has so far displaced more than 13,000 people and killed at least 54.

The clashes broke out after a ‘Tribal Solidarity March’ was organized in 10 mountainous districts of the state to protest the Meitei community’s demand for Scheduled Tribe (ST) status.

CM Shinde in an official statement said that his government was monitoring the situation in Manipur.

“There are 22 students (in Manipur) from Maharashtra. I spoke to two of them, Vikash Sharma and Tushar Awhad, and assured them that they would organize a special flight to return home. I told them not to be afraid of anything, the state is making all the necessary arrangements to bring them back safely,” he said.

The students were studying at some of the Manipur-based institutes of technology, according to the statement.

“I also spoke to Maharashtra Chief Secretary Manoj Sounik and other state officials to make the necessary arrangements. We are currently watching the situation closely,” the CM said.

Life began to return to normal under the watchful eye of drones and army helicopters deployed for aerial reconnaissance as a curfew was relaxed on Sunday in parts of Manipur that have witnessed bloody ethnic riots in recent days.

People were seen coming out in large numbers to buy food, medicine and other essentials during the curfew relaxation period from 7 a.m. to 10 a.m. in the riot-hit city of Churachandpur.

Columns of the Army and Assam Rifles held a flag march through the city as soon as the easing of the 10am curfew ended. In total, between 120 and 125 Army columns have been deployed throughout the state affected by the riots.

The sources said some 10,000 soldiers, paramilitaries and central police forces have been deployed in Manipur.

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(This story has not been edited by News18 staff and is published from a syndicated news agency feed)