Manipur: Curfew Reimposed In Imphal After Fresh Clashes; Army called in

The capital city of Imphal in Manipur witnessed tense situations on Monday as a mob set fire to houses in the Imphal East district. The Army and paramilitary forces have been deployed to the affected area to restore control.

The curfew, which had previously been relaxed until 4 pm, was reimposed after 1 pm due to the recent escalation.

Clashes and conflicts related to various issues have been ongoing in Manipur for nearly a month.

The clashes originated from a 'Tribal Solidarity March' organized on May 3 in the hill districts to protest against the demand for Scheduled Tribe (ST) status by the Meitei community. Prior to this violence, tensions had already arisen from the eviction of Kuki villagers from reserve forest land, leading to several smaller agitations.

The population of Manipur consists of Meiteis, who make up around 53% of the population and reside mainly in the Imphal Valley, and the remaining 40% comprises Nagas and Kukis, who are tribal communities living in the hill districts.

These have resulted in more than 70 deaths, necessitating the deployment of approximately 10,000 army and paramilitary personnel to restore normalcy in the northeastern state.