Toll due to violence in Manipur rises to 62

The toll due to the violence between the Kuki and Meitei communities in Manipur on Monday rose to 62.

However, no major fresh violence has been reported in the state in the past two days.

Health authorities at the district hospital in Churachandpur and the Jawaharlal Nehru Institute of Medical Sciences in Imphal East district told Scroll that they had received two bodies each in the last two days.

With this, the number of deaths reported from the district hospital in Churachandpur has reached 14. Sixteen fatalities have been reported from the Jawaharlal Nehru Institute of Medical Sciences.

Violence first erupted in Manipur on Wednesday after thousands participated in a protest march organised by the All Tribal Students’ Union of Manipur to oppose the demand of the majority Meitei community to be included in the Scheduled Tribe category.

Also Read: What the mobs left behind in Manipur’s hills – burnt homes, looted shops and thousands of displaced

As the violence intensified, the Union government moved additional soldiers from the Indian Army and the Assam Rifles, a central government-controlled paramilitary force, into Manipur.

Over 24,000 people have been displaced and are currently in shelter camps across the state, according to officials. Of them, 12,000 are in Imphal while the rest, mostly Meiteis, are in various...

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