Kolkata: Thirty-five students from West Bengal were flown to the city in a special flight from violence-hit Manipur, a senior official said on Wednesday.
The special flight, which was arranged by the state government, landed at the Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport at around 8 pm on Tuesday, he said.
So far, 60 people including 53 students have been evacuated from Manipur.
“Thirty-five more students from West Bengal have been evacuated from Imphal via special flight which landed in the city at 8 pm Tuesday. They hail from Darjeeling, Cooch Behar, Malda, Paschim Bardhaman, Purulia, Paschim Medinipur, Nadia, North 24 Parganas, South 24 Parganas districts and from the city,” he said.
Of the 35 students brought back, 13 were studying at National Sports University in Manipur, 14 at NIT, Manipur, three at IIIT, Imphal and five in RIMS, the official said, adding that transit accommodation and onward journeys for them were also arranged.
Violent clashes broke out in the northeastern state after a ‘Tribal Solidarity March’ was organised in the 10 hill districts on May 3 to protest against the Meitei community’s demand for Scheduled Tribe (ST) status.
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The clashes were preceded by tension over eviction of Kuki villagers from reserve forest land, which had led to a series of smaller agitations.
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 per cent of the population and reside in the hill districts.
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