Imphal: Violence between tribals and the majority Meitei community in Manipur has forced nearly 9,000 people from their homes, and on Thursday the state government issued a "shoot at sight" order in "extreme cases."
Over 9,000 people were displaced as rioting broke out across Manipur between tribals and the majority Meitei community, requiring the deployment of 55 columns of the Army and the Assam Rifles.
Another 14 columns were maintained ready for deployment by the Army, a defence official said, in case the crisis erupted again.
The government in Delhi has sent units of the Rapid Action squad (RAF), a professional squad trained to deal with riots, to the Northeastern state of Manipur, where violence has broken out.
The group reportedly touched down in Imphal this evening.
After Naga and Kuki tribals organised a 'Tribal Solidarity March' on Wednesday to protest moves to give scheduled tribe status to the majority Metei community, clashes broke out and escalated overnight, with counterattacks being mounted by rival communities in retaliation for earlier attacks.
After "exhaustion of persuasion, warning, and reasonable force" and "the situation could not be controlled," the Governor of the northeastern state issued a "shoot at sight" order on Thursday, allowing all magistrates to do so.
Under the terms of the criminal process legislation of 1973, the state government issued a notification signed by the Commissioner (Home).
In the Churachandpur neighbourhoods of Khuga, Tampa, and Khomaujanbba, the army and the Assam Rifles marched with flags. Mantripukhri, Lamphel, the Koeirangi region of Imphal Valley, and Sugnu in Kakching district all held flag marches on Thursday, according to a defence spokesperson.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah talked with Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh on Thursday to assess the situation in the state and emphasise the seriousness of the violence.
The spokeswoman added that so far, 9,000 people have been evacuated by the forces and provided refuge, and that others are being sent to safer areas.
The spokesperson reported that 5,000 people in Churachandpur, 2,000 people in Imphal Valley, and 2,000 people in the border town of Moreh in Tenugopal district have all been evacuated to safe houses.
A spokeswoman for the state police said that the Army and Assam Rifles were called in last night, and that they, along with the state police, had put an end to the violence by this morning.
There are flag marches going on to maintain order, he said.
On Wednesday, the All Tribal Student Union Manipur (ATSUM) held a 'Tribal Solidarity March' throughout the ten hill districts of the state to protest the desire of the non-tribal Meiteis (53% of the state's population) for Scheduled Tribe (ST) designation.
After the Manipur High Court last month ordered the state government to recommend ST status for the Metei community to the Centre within four weeks, the state's 40 percent tribal population organised a march to demand their rights be recognised.
An armed crowd allegedly attacked members of the Meitei community during the march in the Torbung area of Churachandpur district, prompting counterattacks in the valley districts and spreading violence across the state, as reported by police.
More than three hours of arson reportedly destroyed many stores and homes in Torbung.
As Chief Minister N Biren Singh put it, "Precious lives have been lost, besides damage of properties, which is very unfortunate." He urged the population to be calm.
However, information about the causes of death was not immediately accessible.
Singh claimed that societal "misunderstanding" was to blame for the violence.
Extra paramilitary forces have been called in, and the state government is doing everything it can to keep the peace and ensure the safety of its citizens, he said.
Those "indulging in violence" will be met with "strong action" from "central and state forces," he said.
Mizoram's chief minister, Zoramthanga, wrote to Singh expressing his country's alarm at the violence.
His letter stated, "As the Chief Minister of Mizoram, a lifelong neighbour that shares much in common with Manipur in terms of history and culture, I am deeply pained by the violence that has flared up in parts of your State and the underlying tension between the Meitei community and the tribals there."
According to Singh, he called Zoramthanga and filled him in on what was going on.
The districts of Imphal West, Kakching, Thoubal, Jiribam, and Bishnupur, as well as the districts of Churachandpur, Kangpokpi, and Tengnoupal, which are dominated by the tribal Meitei, are under a Rs Curfew.
The state-wide outage of mobile internet connectivity.
Police say that many Kuki tribals were forced to abandon their homes in the Imphal valley after they were ransacked.
Police say that more than 500 people from the Kuki-dominated Langol area of Imphal West have fled their houses and are now sheltering at the CRPF camp in Lamphelpat.
They also reported that some religious buildings in the Imphal valley had been burned down throughout the night.
Meanwhile, they reported that over a thousand Meiteis from the tribally controlled Churachandpur district had fled to the Bishnupur district towns of Kwakta and Moirang.
Twenty or more homes were reportedly destroyed in the Motbung neighbourhood of Kangpokpi district.
Moreh, in the Tengnoupal district, is close to the Myanmar border, and reports of violence have also come from there.
Communities on the Scheduled Tribe list were alarmed by the blatant endorsement of the demand for ST designation by some Meitei organisation by valley lawmakers.
The Meiteis live in the valley, which comprises around one-tenth of the total land area of the old princely state. They blame "massive illegal immigration by Myanmarese and Bangladeshis" for their concerns.
Tribal peoples, such as the predominantly Christian Nagas and Hindu Kukis, live in the state's hilly interior, which is protected from development by a number of statutes.—Inputs from Agencies