Hundreds of NE students stuck in violence-hit Manipur, seek evacuation

Imphal: With internet connections being snapped in Manipur after days of violence and rioting, the attention has now turned towards the students from neighbouring states who are stranded in the violence-hit state.

On Friday morning, EastMojo reached out to a few students studying in Manipur to know about the goings-on in the Manipur capital.

Gangtok resident Jordan Edwin, who is studying at the Central Agriculture University in Imphal, said that evacuations to neighbouring states have already commenced.

“A village located near our college was burnt down to ashes. We also heard explosions and gunshots being fired last night. The situation is not very good right now. Miscreants are burning down houses,” Edwin told EastMojo.

“We, the students, are doing whatever we can to stay safe. We are keeping in touch with the PRO of the Sikkim Chief Minister as well. We have been told that some steps have been taken by the government for evacuation, but we have not received confirmation yet.”

A student from Manipur University, on the condition of anonymity, informed EastMojo that “a bomb went off not too far from the University campus and several vehicles were torched.”

Again, a student leader from Nagaland, who is currently at one of the college campuses near the epicentre of violence at Imphal, said that about 148 students from Nagaland are stranded within the campus and are waiting for the Nagaland government to evacuate the students.

The student said that several students from Nagaland have reached out to the state government through the helpline number activated on Thursday. However, students are awaiting a green signal from the Nagaland government for evacuation.

“We are stuck here at the campus now. When violence was at its peak yesterday, the mob also attacked our campus and other educational institutions. We panicked because we are insecure about our safety here. Our non-tribal friends here are assuring us of our safety but we are afraid because mob attacks can be unpredictable and we don’t know what will happen,” the student shared.

Meanwhile, Nagaland’s Home Department has conveyed that helpline numbers have been activated at State Police Headquarters and Nagaland State Disaster Management Authority to make provisions for evacuation, in case the need arises.

Appealing to over 200 students from the state studying in Manipur, Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad Sangma said that evacuations are being planned.

“We are monitoring the situation closely. We are in touch with the students of the different institutes. We are also making arrangements as a state government to try and evacuate our students at the earliest from there so that they can come back safely,” Sangma said in a video briefing Friday evening.

The Chief Minister said the government is making arrangements in terms of different transportation, especially air transportation so that the students can be safely and quickly brought back to the state.

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