(Imphal) Some 23,000 people have fled ethnic violence in northeast India that is believed to have left at least 54 people dead, the army said on Sunday, stressing, however, the absence of a “major incident” during of the night.
Unrest erupted in Manipur state where a protest march organized by a tribal group on Wednesday escalated into clashes, in which vehicles and homes were set on fire.
The army has deployed thousands of soldiers in this state bordering Burma and has given the order to “shoot on sight” in “extreme cases”. Curfews were imposed and the internet was cut.
No major incidents were reported overnight from Saturday to Sunday and the curfew was lifted in Churachandpur district, one of the main areas of tension, the army said in a statement.
The army said it had significantly stepped up its aerial surveillance efforts in the past 24 hours. “A total of 23,000 civilians have been rescued so far and transferred to our military bases or garrisons,” she said.
Authorities have not given an official toll but hospital morgues in Imphal, the state capital, and Churachandpur said they received a total of 54 bodies, according to local media.
Tribal groups are unhappy with the prospect of seeing the Meitei community, the majority in the state, recognized as “scheduled tribes”, a designation that would give them access to a quota of civil service jobs and places in the universities within the framework of a policy of positive discrimination.
From the Kuki minority, L. Sanglun Simte, 29, took refuge with 11 members of his family outside Imphal airport where he has been camping since Saturday.
“We fled for safety […]. They are attacking us, the Kukis,” he told AFP, saying his cousin, Siemcha Gangte, 49, was killed by mobs on Thursday and his house burned down.
“The attackers say that we are foreigners and that we must leave Imphal. When they attacked us, the local police did not help us. Only the presence of the central forces has made it possible to improve the situation on the ground,” he testified.
India’s northeast has seen decades of turmoil between ethnic groups and separatists seeking greater autonomy and even secession.
At least 50,000 people have been killed in Manipur since the 1950s. These conflicts have subsided over the years, with many groups making deals with New Delhi for more power.