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* The chief minister made the announcement after chairing an all-party meeting over the prevailing situation in the violence-hit areas.
* The clashes broke out after a ‘Tribal Solidarity March’ was organised in the ten hill districts to protest against the Meitei community’s demand for Scheduled Tribe (ST) status.
* Violence first erupted in Torbung area in Churachandpur district during the ‘Tribal Solidarity March’ organised by the All Tribal Student Union Manipur (ATSUM) on Wednesday to protest the demand of Meiteis for Scheduled Tribe (ST) status. The march was organised by tribals after the Manipur High Court asked the state government last month to send a recommendation to the Centre within four weeks on the demand for ST status by the Metei community.
* Meiteis account for about 53 per cent of Manipur’s population and live mostly in the Imphal valley. Tribals — Nagas and Kukis — constitute another 40 percent of the population and live mostly in the hill districts.
* However, unofficially sources placed the death toll at over a hundred and the number of injured at nearly 200.
* Nearly 10,000 army, para-military and central police forces have been deployed in the state where rioting broke out after demonstrations were organized by tribals –including Kukis and Nagas – Wednesday against a move to give the majority Meitei community, scheduled tribe status.
04:43
Manipur violence: Why Tribal groups are up in arms against Meiteis and what sparked the latest round of unrest in state
* Security presence which has been bolstered in Manipur by flying in more army troops and central police forces, was clearly visible at all major roads and areas.
* Several make-shift camps at various government buildings have been set up for refugees from the riots which broke out both in the Imphal valley and in the hill districts surrounding it.
* Security forces have set up roadblocks and cordons in areas where various militant groups who seem to have joined the ethnic rioting, had engaged security forces in gunfire on Friday night.
* Of the 54 officially declared dead, 16 bodies were kept in the morgue of the Churachandpur district hospital while 15 bodies were in Jawaharlal Nehru Institute of Medical Sciences in Imphal East district, officials said.
* Trains to Manipur have been cancelled with immediate effect from Friday due to the prevailing in the state, a Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) spokesperson said.
* While most neighboring state governments had initiated action to help and rescue people from their state studying or travelling in Manipur, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Saturday too said efforts are underway to evacuate people of the state stranded in violence-hit Manipur.
(With agencies inputs)
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