Manipur: Eerie calm prevails on ground zero

Imphal: One look through Kangchup Chingkhong, which is adjacent to Manipur's capital Imphal, is enough to tell you what must have happened here. Smoke still emanates from the remains of houses that were burnt down in the clashes. Walls of the houses that are still erect are blackened by soot. 

The worst is the silence that pierces through the entire town, with residents having moved out in a hurry with whatever little they could gather. Locals say they want to live peacefully there while demanding government's intervention for the same. They point out that situation is not peaceful. They want everyone to work on restoring peace here. They also point out that they were not able to sleep peacefully and want normalcy to return in entire Manipur. The education of children is among the casualties of the violence. 

Rioters set ablaze more than 50 houses in Kangchup Chingkhong. They did not even spare the junior high school, the local church or temple. The state government claims the situation has improved and there were no reports of violence on Tuesday. 

Manipur Education Minister Th Basantakumar Singh said no violence has been reported today. "Few incidents were reported on highways but we don't know if it was due to violence. No violence was reported. Now Manipur has returned back to normalcy. Curfew has been relaxed. Arms are being seized. If there any new development, we will let you know."

Jawans of Assam Rifles patrol the streets of Kangchup to ensure peace. Today, an eerie calm prevails in the town, the ground zero of violence that engulfed Manipur and led to the death of at least 60 people. The locals hope they can find peace and move on with their lives soon.