Sharad Pawar, the leader of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), promised on Sunday to speak with Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde about helping state students who are presently stranded in Manipur due to violence.
Following clashes between the majority Meitei community and other tribal groups over a high court order requesting that the Manipur government consider adding the former to the list of Scheduled Tribes (STs), the Northeast state has been on fire. Speaking to reporters on Sunday, Pawar claimed that several of these trapped students’ parents had come to see him at his Baramati home to ask for his help in arranging for their rescue.
“Several students of IIIT Manipur from Maharashtra are stuck and stranded amid the ongoing violence in the state. Many of their parents met me today and sought my help to ensure that they are brought back safely at the earliest. As I am currently travelling, I will speak to CM Eknath Shinde and Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis about these students on my way,” the NCP patron said.
Earlier, on May 3, the district administration imposed a curfew in Churachandpur district, one of the worst-affected areas in the ongoing conflict, amid the prevailing unrest and upturn in violent incidents in the state.
To allow people to purchase necessities, the Manipur government on Sunday partially relaxed the curfew from 7 am to 10 am.
According to a notification, the decision was made after talks between the state government and various stakeholders led to an improvement in the law and order situation in the Churachandpur district.
According to a statement from the governor’s office, Governor Sushri Anusuiya Uikey urged the people of Manipur on Saturday to maintain their comradery and banish feelings of fear and insecurity in the face of the ongoing violence in the state.
