Imphal: Firing by unknown militants in Manipur’s Imphal East district left one Assam Rifles personnel injured on Wednesday, while life in the violence-hit north-eastern state continued to limp back to normal elsewhere with curfew being relaxed in 11 districts for six hours a day.

People sheltered in temporary camps also started returning home, a defence official said. At least 60 people were killed and over 30,000 rendered homeless in rioting which engulfed Manipur last week. Of those who had to leave their homes, 26,000 have been evacuated outside their districts while 4,000 remained in relief camps close to their homes, Information and Public Relations Minister Sapam Ranjan Singh said.

Soldiers on an area domination exercise were fired on by unknown militants at 11 am at Dolaithabi area in Imphal East district, Spear Corps of the Army said. “After firing a few rounds, the miscreants ran away. One Assam Rifles personnel sustained gunshot wounds. He is currently under treatment,” the army unit said in a tweet.

Various militant groups are known to have participated in the ethnic rioting that broke out between the majority Meitei and tribals mostly from the Kuki and affiliated tribes last week over a move to grant the majority community scheduled tribe status.

A total of 128 columns of the Indian Army and Assam Rifles or nearly 10,000 soldiers continued flag marches in the affected areas and undertook round-the-clock aerial surveillance using unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs).

“The Indian Army along with Assam Rifles have significantly re-engineered the security architecture and numerous resources have been infused in Manipur, especially in the backdrop of the prevailing security situation,” a statement issued by the Defence PRO said.

Stranded people are now returning homes and getting reunited with their loved ones, it said. Curfew was relaxed in 11 districts including Imphal West, Bishnupur, Churachandpur and Jiribam for six hours from 5 am, officials said.

The Army is undertaking surveillance of areas not only in the hinterland but also along the India-Myanmar Border.
“Round-the-clock surveillance through Unmanned Aerial Vehicles with specific tasking, employment of MI-17 and Cheetah helicopters of Indian Air Force and Army and numerous foot patrols and flag marches to restore the confidence of locals on ground are being resorted to,” the defence statement said.