22 Maharashtra students stuck in Manipur to be brought back by special plane

A group of 22 students from Maharashtra who are currently stranded in Manipur will be airlifted by a special plane. Maharashtra chief minister Eknath Shinde had a conversation with his counterparts in Manipur and Assam regarding this matter. Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis spoke with Manipur Chief Minister N. Biren Singh over the safety of students stuck in the violence-hit state and urged to provide them security till the situation comes under control.

Fadnavis also spoke to the students of the state stuck in Manipur and assured them of all kinds of assistance. This comes amid violence in Manipur which erupted on May 3 during a ‘Tribal Solidarity March’ that had been called by the All Tribal Student Union Manipur (ATSUM) in Torbung area of Churachandpur district to protest the demand of non-tribal  Meiteis, who are dominant in the Imphal Valley, for Scheduled Tribe (SC) status.

According to an official statement by the Deputy Chief Minister's Office, various students from Maharashtra are pursuing their studies at the NIT Manipur and were stuck due to the escalating situation in the state.Sources also said that the Chief Secretary of Maharashtra contacted the Director General of Police, in Manipur and requested assistance with immediate effect."Devendra Fadnavis also contacted the Manipur government and requested them to keep these students safe until the situation becomes normal," the statement said."Immediate arrangements are being made by the Maharashtra government to bring these students safely to Maharashtra," it added.Meanwhile, the efforts of the Indian Army and Assam Rifles have brought a ray of hope to the violence-torn Churachandpur region. The joint forces have been working tirelessly for the past 96 hours to rescue civilians across all communities, curb violence and restore normalcy in the area. It is due to their dedicated efforts, no major violence has been reported at present. As a result, the curfew has been relaxed from 7-10 am on Sunday in Churachandpur, followed by a flag march by Security Forces immediately thereafter.