Guwahati, 4 May: Chief Minister of Meghalaya Conrad Sangma has made a plea for calm in Manipur where confrontations between rival tribal tribes have left two civilians dead and close to 11 injured. On May 3, scuffle broke out during a solidarity march organised by the ATSUM (All Tribal Students’ Union, Manipur) to denounce the Meitei’s demand to be added to the Scheduled Tribe (ST) list.
According to reports, two of the five wounded persons who were hospitalised with bullet wounds have now passed away. Manipur’s situation is still tight and more paramilitary forces have been sent there to calm things down. Following clashes in the Churachandpur district on May 3, communal tension in the state erupted and the army and Manipur’s state police intervened to calm things down.
In the midst of tribal groups’ protests over the court judgement giving the Meitei community the status of a Scheduled Tribe, the army is currently marching with the flag in violent areas. In addition to other districts, vandalism and arson events have been linked to the protests in Imphal, Bishnupur and Moreh.
Chief minister of Manipur N Biren Singh has urged all segments of the population to uphold peace and communal harmony in reaction to the situation. He pleaded with the populace to forego using force and instead sit down to negotiate a peaceful outcome.