in and around the state, where internet services have been shut down.
The death toll after ethnic clashes in Manipur rose to at least 55 on
Saturday but there was little clarity on the true scale of the damage and
fatalities after the state convulsed through two days of violence, even as
some parts began returning to normalcy while thousands of troops kept
guard. The northeastern state saw ethnic clashes between Meiteis, the
dominant community in Imphal Valley with over 53% of the total state
population, and the tribal communities, especially Kukis, residing in the
hill districts. The immediate trigger for the violence was a proposal to
include Meiteis in the scheduled tribe (ST) Category. The death toll rose
to at least 55 on Saturday but there was little clarity on the true scale
of the damage and fatalities after the state convulsed through two days of
violence.
The state government, meanwhile, has relaxed the curfew that prohibited the
movement of any person outside their homes will be relaxed for three hours
in violence-hit Manipur’s Churachandpur district on Sunday morning to allow
people to buy essential items, according to a notification.
