GUWAHATI: Manipur Police evacuated 51 Kuki students from a school in Naga-majority Ukhrul district as tensions continue over a recent incident of assault in the Litan areas.
The evacuees are students of Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya (JNV), Ramva in Ukhrul. Following the evacuation, the police handed them over to a team of the Saikul Police Station for onward movement to JNV in Kangpokpi, which is a Kuki-majority district.
“These students from the Kuki community were evacuated from 40 AR Bn. HQ Shangshak (20 female students) and F Coy, 40 AR Shokvao COB locations (31 male students),” Manipur Police said in a statement posted on X on Monday night.
The Class X and XII examination centres of 18 students have been transferred to JNV, Kangpokpi, due to the prevailing law and order situation in Ukhrul district.
The police said the students from the Kuki community of JNV, Ramva, were evacuated as a precautionary measure.
“During the evacuation process, a few members of the public mistook them for miscreants. The support of TKS (student body Tangkhul Katamnao Saklong) and its zonal unit was crucial in de-escalating tensions,” the Manipur Police statement said.
It added that their efforts in persuading villagers across the Shangshak, Ramva, Shokvao, TM Kasom and S Laho areas ensured the safe evacuation of the students to Litan Police Station, despite heightened tensions in the area.
Manipur Police appealed to all communities to maintain restraint and refrain from spreading rumours.
The violence in the Litan areas erupted after a Tangkhul (tribe) villager was allegedly assaulted by a group of Kuki-Zo individuals.
During the violence, around 30 houses, belonging to both communities, were torched.