Manipur violence: 676 civilians of Nagaland evacuated from Imphal

IMPHAL: As many as 676 civilians of Nagaland were safely evacuated by security forces from violence-hit Manipur on Sunday. The evacuation operation was carried out by Assam Rifles in coordination with Nagaland Government.

"In a meticulously planned and executed multi-agency rescue operation led by a Brigadier from Kohima-based Assam Rifles Inspector General Action Request (IGAR) Headquarters involving movement over two days, the safe evacuation process that commenced yesterday has been completed today. A total of 676 Naga civilians were safely brought to the confines of their loved ones today afternoon," said the official statement.

Indian Army and Assam Rifles which were called in to curb violence in Manipur have successfully rescued nearly 23,000 civilians so far and moved them to the operating bases, a statement from the Indian Army said on Sunday.

Meanwhile, Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh met with the representatives of the 'Coordinating Committee on Manipur Integrity (COCOMI)' in the wake of the violence in the State, informed CM in a tweet.

Political parties including Congress, NPF, NPP, CPI(M), Aam Aadmi Party and Shiv Sena attended the meeting chaired by Biren Singh himself.

The meeting follows violence that erupted in the immediate aftermath of inter-community clashes in a few northeastern state districts amid protests against the inclusion of the majority Meitei community in the Scheduled Tribes (ST) category.

Manipur government had requisitioned Army and Assam Rifles on May 3 and 4. State's Director General of Police (DGP) P Doungel has said that the situation in the State has improved after the intervention of security forces.

Forces including Rapid Action Force (RAF), Border Security Force (BSF) and Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) have been deployed in Manipur, he said and the CRPF chief Kuldiep Singh, has been appointed as the security advisor.

The State government has also appointed Additional Director-General of Police (Intelligence), Ashutosh Sinha as the overall operational commander to control the situation in Manipur, the Manipur DGP said.

In a statement earlier on Friday, the Army said that the situation in Manipur had been controlled through coordinated actions by all stakeholders.

Violence had erupted in the immediate aftermath of inter-community clashes in a few districts of the northeastern State amid protests against the inclusion of the majority Meitei community in the Scheduled Tribes (ST) category.