THE government is in talks seeking to resolve a long-running conflict between two ethnic communities in the north-eastern state of Manipur, Interior Minister Amit Shah said.
Internet and mobile data services were restored in Manipur on Monday, official orders showed, after being suspended in some areas last week when student protests turned violent amid fresh fighting between the majority Meitei and minority Kuki groups.
“We hope that we will be able to bring the situation (in Manipur) under control,” Shah told reporters yesterday at an event outlining the first 100 days of the third term of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s administration.
“If both (ethnic groups) do not come to an understanding, there won’t be a resolution to the matter,” Shah said, adding that the government is prepared with a “road map” outlining a range of efforts for the coming days.
Manipur’s government is led by Modi and Shah’s Bharatiya Janata Party.
The local government imposed a curfew in the Imphal Valley and surrounding districts last week.
Colleges in the state, which borders Myanmar, were also ordered to shut for a few days.
Schools were set to reopen yesterday, according to a government order, while a partial curfew is still in effect. — Reuters
