Manipur: Situation calm day after spurt in clashes

An uneasy calm prevailed in ethnic conflictaffected Manipur a day after a sudden spurt in clashes and firing between militants and security forces officials said on MondayThe death toll from clashes a day before rose to five on Monday as three more people who were undergoing treatment in hospitals succumbed to their injuries they saidArmy and paramilitary personnel continued combing operations in the Imphal valley and surrounding districts an official saidThe Army operation is aimed at confiscating illegal caches of arms he saidThe police on Sunday said that at least two persons were killed and 12 injured in different instances of firing upon civilians and clashes between militants and security forcesManipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh had said nearly 40 armed militants involved in torching houses and firing at civilians have been killed by security forces since they began an operation to bring peace to the northeastern state beset by ethnic riotingThe latest clashes began after the army and paramilitary forces commenced combing operations to dearm communities in order to bring peace officials saidAt Phayeng in Imphal West district one person died on Sunday and another sustained bullet injuries after being fired at by suspected Kuki militants the police officials saidOne policeman was killed and another injured at Sugnu in the firing Six persons were also injured at Sugnu and another four at SerouThe latest incidents of violence have also prompted district authorities to shorten the 11hour curfew relaxation period in Imphal East and West districts to just six and half hoursEthnic clashes which have claimed over 75 lives first broke out in Manipur after a Tribal Solidarity March was organised in the hill districts on May 3 to protest against the Meitei communitys demand for Scheduled Tribe ST statusThe violence was preceded by tension over the eviction of Kuki villagers from reserve forest land which had led to a series of smaller agitationsMeiteis account for about 53 per cent of Manipurs population and live mostly in the Imphal Valley Tribals Nagas and Kukis constitute another 40 per cent of the population and reside in the hill districtsAround 140 columns of the Indian Army and Assam Rifles comprising over 10000 personnel besides those from other paramilitary forces had to be deployed to bring back normalcy in the northeastern stateThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever