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Manipur: Moreh limping back to normalcy amidst communal mistrust |
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In Manipur, the troubled border town of Moreh is limping back to normalcy amidst reports of communal mistrust, after clashes between the two communities early this month claimed 11 lives. Reports say the Moreh clashes have shaken Imphal, the seat of Manipur Government rumours about the killings may turn the state capital into a second trouble spot.
Meitei protesters blocked a road and forced shops in Imphal to down shutters even as the government rushed police and para¬military teams to Kuki-inhabited localities in anticipation of a communal flare-up over the killings. Six of those killed in Moreh were Meitei construction workers and the rest were Kukis. The killings are believed to be the handiwork of rival militant groups.
Moreh has been on the boil since May 25, when an explosion in a hotel at Namphalong - just across the Indo-Myanmar border - left two dead. Border trade was suspended after that incident and has yet to resume.
Governor S.S. Sidhu has appealed to all communities not to be swayed by rumours emanating from Moreh about the “senseless killings”. He said the government had initiated all possible steps to restore normality in the border township.
India Reserve Battalion personnel and police commandos launched operations in Moreh and its vicinity to flush out the militants responsible for the killings, while Assam Rifles teams patrolled the empty streets. Residents of the township said they heard gunshots in the morning, but there was no official confir¬mation of any such incident.
State police chief Yumnam Joykumar Singh held a series of meetings with leaders of different communities in Moreh to chalk out strategies to prevent an ethnic conflict.
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