Meghalaya To Evacuate Students From Violence-Hit Manipur

Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma on Thursday directed state government officials to evacuate students of the state studying in various educational institutions in violence-hit Manipur.

The chief minister chaired an urgent meeting with top officials to ensure the safety of students of Meghalaya following reports of violence in Manipur.

"The chief minister highlighted that the safety of all students of Meghalaya must be ensured and directed the officials to come up with a plan for evacuation of students if the situation arises," a senior official told PTI.

Over 200 Meghalaya students are studying in Manipur, he said and plans are afoot to airlift them, the official said.

The Meghalaya government is putting in place a helpline number for students studying in Manipur or their family members to reach out to in case of emergencies.

The Manipur government on Thursday issued 'shoot at sight' order in "extreme cases" to contain spiralling violence in the state between tribals and the majority Meitei community which has displaced over 9,000 people from their villages.

Fifty-five columns of the Army and Assam Rifles had to be deployed to contain widespread rioting that broke out across Manipur between tribals and the majority Meitei community, displacing over 9,000 people.

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