Imphal, Sept 15: Over 175 lives were lost in the last four months in Manipur due to ethnic-violence and at least 96 bodies are still lying unclaimed.
“Ethnic clashes in Manipur have claimed 175 lives over four months, and at least 96 bodies are still lying unclaimed,” stated Manipur police in a press statement.
Talking to media persons, Inspector General of Police (AP/Operations) IK Muivah said, “Over 175 people have died, 1,118 sustained injuries, and 32 are missing. At least 5,172 cases of arson, including 4,786 houses and 386 religious places, were reported in these four months”.
“A total of 5,668 arms were lost from the state armoury since the beginning of the violence. Of this, forces have recovered 1,329. Another 15,050 rounds of ammunition and 400 bombs were recovered,” he said.
Muivah said security forces destroyed as many as 360 illegal bunkers in the state and that barricades set up between Phougakchao Ikhai and Kangvai, covering about a one-kilometre stretch along the Imphal-Churachandpur road, were also removed on Thursday.
The barricades serve as the boundary of a buffer zone, manned by security forces, to ensure that people from the warring Meitei and Kuki communities do not cross over and engage in violence.
On September 6, thousands of men and women defied prohibitory orders to push for the removal of the barricades.
“The police along with central armed police forces (CAPFs) and the army are trying to bring some form of normalcy and peace,” Muivah informed.
The police officers said that security convoys were running smoothly on National Highway 37 between Imphal and Jiribam. The volume of goods in transit also increased with the opening of National Highway 2 from Imphal in Manipur to Dimapur in Nagaland on Thursday.
Clashes in Manipur first broke out on May 3 in Churachandpur town after tribal groups called for protests against a proposed tweak to the state’s reservation matrix, granting scheduled tribe (ST) status to the Meitei community.
Also read: 16-year-old who lifted SAFF CUP for India, has no home to stay back in Manipur
WATCH:
Find latest news from every corner of Northeast India at hubnetwork.in, your online source for breaking news, video coverage.
Also, Follow us on-
Twitter-twitter.com/nemediahub
Youtube channel- www.youtube.com/@NortheastMediaHub2020
Instagram- www.instagram.com/nemediahub
