Meitei people fleeing after Kuki quit notice

Imphal, Feb 24 (PTI) People belonging to Meitei tribewere fleeing villages from Manipur''s Senapati district after a''quit notice'' served on them by a Kuki militant outfit thathad signed agreement with the government for entering peacetalks, official sources said today.

Hundreds of people belonging to the majority Meiteicommunity living in villages in Motbung and Kangpokpi areas,dominated by Kuki tribes, have been asked to leave their homeswithin 48 hours yesterday by Kuki National Front-Presidium(KNF-P).

KNF-P is one of the Kuki militant outfits which hadsigned agreement with the state and central governments forentering peace talks and security forces had stopped combingoperations against them some years ago, the sources said.

After leaving their homes, many the Meitei people havecome to Sekmai in Imphal West district and were being givenshelter at a community hall, the sources said.

The sources said KNF-P cadres lodged at government-runcamps had served the ''quit notice'' to Meitei people followingthe alleged kidnap of a Kuki person by a Meitei militantoutfit.

Efforts were on to restore normalcy in the interiorvillages, the sources said.