Manipur clashes: Police evacuate 51 Kuki students from Ukhrul as a precaution

Amid simmering tensions between the Naga and Kuki communities in Manipur, the state police undertook a delicate operation to ensure the safety of students caught in the crossfire of communal unrest. On Tuesday, 51 students from the Kuki tribal community were evacuated from Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya (JNV), Ramva, in the Naga-majority Ukhrul district, and safely transferred to JNV Kangpokpi as a precautionary measure.

The evacuation comes in the wake of persistent clashes between members of the Tangkhul Naga tribe and the Kuki community that erupted on 7 February. Over the past week, Litan Sareikhong village, nestled along the borders of Nagaland and Myanmar, bore the brunt of violence, with more than 30 homes reportedly reduced to ashes amid a series of attacks and counter-attacks.

A police official in Imphal elaborated that the group of evacuated students included 31 boys and 20 girls. Eighteen of these students, due to upcoming Class 10 and 12 examinations, had their centres shifted to JNV Kangpokpi to ensure their education remained uninterrupted despite the turbulent circumstances.

The evacuation operation, however, was not without its challenges. Some locals initially mistook the students for miscreants, but the timely intervention of various local organisations helped defuse tensions. Their efforts, reaching across the villages of Shangshak, Ramva, Shokvao, TM Kasom, and S. Laho, were pivotal in ensuring that the students reached Litan Police Station unharmed, even as the region remained on edge.

Manipur Police have appealed to all communities to exercise restraint and refrain from spreading rumours during this sensitive period.

The violence, which erupted after an alleged assault on a Tangkhul Naga resident at Litan village, has severely affected vehicular movement, including public transport along the Imphal–Ukhrul road. Signs of normalcy are now emerging, with the state government lifting a five-day internet suspension in Ukhrul, Kamjong, and Kangpokpi districts. Prohibitory orders under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), 2023, were also withdrawn last week.

Manipur deputy chief minister Losii Dikho, a prominent Naga leader, reiterated the government’s commitment to restoring peace while promoting sports and youth engagement as instruments of harmony in the region.

In a region shadowed by mistrust and historical friction, the careful evacuation underscores the state’s efforts to safeguard its children and to nurture a fragile hope for reconciliation between communities.

With IANS inputs