NEW DELHI: The death toll after ethnic clashes in India’s remote northeast rose to 54 on Saturday, with a fresh wave of violence overnight despite authorities rushing in forces to restore order.
Thousands of soldiers were deployed in Manipur state after a tribal group’s protest march turned violent on Wednesday. Authorities imposed an internet blackout and even issued shoot-at-sight orders in “extreme cases” to contain the unrest.
54 Killed in Manipur, India
The situation remained tense after the increase in violence on Friday night, hours after the state’s high police official warned that rioters had stolen weapons, arms, and ammunition from police stations.
Local media reported that hospital morgues in Churachandpur district and the state capital Imphal had given 54 death figures in total.
Sixteen bodies were kept in the Churachandpur Hospital’s morgue, while fifteen were in Jawaharlal Nehru Institute of Medical Sciences (JNIMS) in Imphal East district. The Regional Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS) at Lamphel in Imphal district reported twenty-three dead.
Official death toll in ethnic clashes
The Manipur government and security forces have yet to issue an official death figure for this week’s violence.
India’s law minister Kiren Rijiju told journalists on Saturday that many precious lives were lost after days of clashes and property damage.
At least 50,000 people have died in the conflicts since the first insurgency started in Manipur in the early 1950s. Over the years, these issues have waned, with many groups striking agreements with New Delhi for more powers. –AFP
