Officials said that there were 54 deaths in the Manipur massacre, but unofficial estimates placed the number far higher. Imphal Valley life resumed a cautious routine on Saturday as stores, markets, and automobile traffic resumed.
All important places and routes were marked by a strong security presence that has been boosted by the aerial deployment of more army personnel, quick response forces, and central police units.
Even though there were several security officers on duty, the majority of stores and marketplaces in Imphal town and other locations opened in the morning with people purchasing produce and other necessities.
Officials said that of the 54 deceased, 15 were in Jawaharlal Nehru Institute of Medical Sciences in Imphal East district and 16 were placed in the mortuary of the Churachandpur district hospital.
According to the official, 23 deaths were recorded by the Regional Institute of Medical Sciences in Lamphel in the Imphal West district.
In the meanwhile, two separate confrontations in the Churachandpur area on Friday night resulted in the deaths of five hill-based terrorists and the injuries of two India Reserve Battalion soldiers, according to the police.
Four terrorists were killed in a clash between security personnel and the latter in Saiton in Churachandpur district, according to the police.
At Torbung, militants opened fire on security personnel, forcing them to retaliate. According to the police, during the exchange of gunfire, one insurgent was killed and two members of the Indian Reserve Battalion (IRB) were injured.
A spokeswoman for the Defence Department said that 13,000 people in all were saved and sent to safe havens, some of which were army camps, while the army established “firm control” over the districts of Churachandpur, Moreh, Kakching, and Kangpokpi.
“Over the course of the last 12 hours, the Imphal East and West districts have seen periodic arson attacks and efforts to erect blockades by adversarial forces. A robust and coordinated reaction, however, was able to calm the situation, the defence official stated on Friday night.
The instances’ specifics, however, were not known.
According to several accounts, there were numerous fatalities and close to a hundred injuries as a result of the fighting between the villages. The police, however, declined to corroborate this.
Districts like Churachandpur, Bishenpur, Imphal East and West provided the corpses.
Both RIMS and the Jawaharlal Nehru Institute of Medical Sciences are treating a large number of patients who have suffered gunshot wounds.
“Security Forces’ quick action resulted in the evacuation of citizens from all communities from different minority enclaves in conflict zones. As a consequence, there has been no significant violence recorded since last night in Churachandpur, Kangpokpi, Moreh, and Kakching, according to the PRO.
In the state that has been rocked by skirmishes between the Meitei population, which mostly resides in Imphal Valley, and the Naga and Kuki tribals, who dwell in the hill areas, around 10,000 troops from the Army and the Assam Rifles have been deployed.
The official from the defence department said that a total of 13,000 people had been saved and were presently residing in a number of ad hoc boarding facilities inside company operating bases and military garrisons that had been built especially for the purpose.
Amit Shah, the Union Home Minister, met with Chief Minister N Biren Singh and other senior officials on Friday to discuss the state of affairs in Manipur as the Central Government sent more security personnel and anti-riot vehicles to the state to keep order.
According to reports, some 1,000 more central paramilitary soldiers and anti-riot vehicles arrived in Manipur on Friday.
Due to the ongoing unrest in the state, trains to Manipur have been cancelled with immediate effect as of Friday, according to a Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) spokeswoman.
During the Wednesday “Tribal Solidarity March” planned by the All Tribal Student Union Manipur (ATSUM) to oppose the Meiteis’ demand for Scheduled Tribe (ST) classification, violence initially broke out in the Torbung region of Churachandpur district.
Tribals, including Nagas and Kukis, coordinated the march after the Manipur High Court requested last month that the state administration give a proposal to the Centre within four weeks regarding the Meitei community’s claim for ST status.
An armed crowd reportedly assaulted members of the Meitei community during the march in Torbung, which sparked reprisals in the valley regions and increased the level of violence throughout the state, according to the police.
Meiteis make up around 53% of the population and are mostly found in the Imphal Valley. Tribes, such as the Nagas and Kukis, make up another 40% of the population and are mostly concentrated in the hill areas that surround the Valley.