Union Home Minister Amit Shah said on May 8 that the Manipur High Court’s order to grant Scheduled Tribe (ST) status to the majority Meitei community in Manipur will be discussed with all stakeholders, and there was no need for anyone to be scared. The Army enhanced aerial surveillance along the Manipur-Myanmar border to keep a watch on any misadventure by insurgent groups in the neighbouring country, a source said.
The Manipur Government’s Security Advisor Kuldiep Singh told The Hindu that out of 35,000 people staying in relief camps, 20,000 people had been escorted safely to their homes. “Around 15,000 people remain in relief camps. Relaxation in curfew timings was allowed in several places, in some places up to four hours. District Magistrates have been given a free hand to decide the timings,” Mr. Singh said. He added that no major incident had been reported in the past 24 hours. He said 215 weapons looted from police armoury had been recovered so far.
Chief Minister N. Biren Singh said in Imphal that around 60 “innocent people” were killed, 231 persons injured, and 1,700 houses burnt down in the violence. He said a high-level inquiry would be conducted to identify the persons and groups who instigated the violence and fix responsibility on government officials who failed in their duty.
