Tezpur (Assam): A team of Assam Police led by IGP (Training) Akhilesh Singh left for violence-hit Manipur on Sunday to rescue students and civilians, who have been stranded in the state since violence broke out on Wednesday. Over 1,000 students and others are reportedly stranded in different parts of Manipur.
The team will take all necessary measures for evacuating these people. A total of 23,000 people have been rescued by the Army and the Assam Rifles so far, defence sources said.
It was learnt that several students from Assam and other states were forced to go under house arrest after violence erupted in Manipur on May 3. Earlier in the day, the army and Assam Rifles rescued 676 Nagaland students and civilians from the trouble-torn areas of the state, a defence ministry spokesperson said. These people were brought back to their homes this afternoon. The rescue operation was launched yesterday and the evacuation process was completed today.
The Army has launched a 24-hour helpline number urging people to dial 03862249122 for assistance. The Army and the Indian Air Force are conducting aerial surveys along the border. Also, army helicopters and Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) are operating on the Indo-Myanmar border.
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Curfew has been relaxed for three hours from 7 to 10 am this morning in the violence-hit areas of Churachandpur. According to a notification issued by the Churachandpur District Magistrate Sharath Chandra Aroju, the relaxations will be reviewed after assessing the law and order situation. Curfew was imposed in the state on May 3 after violent clashes broke out between members of the tribal and non tribal communities over proposal to grant Scheduled Tribe (ST) status to Meitei community. Thousands of people were relocated and the death toll has increased to 54 till now, official sources said.
