Manipur violence: Over 6,520 tribals took shelter in Mizoram

Aizawl/Imphal, May 16 (IANS) Over 6,520 people from Manipur, fleeing due to the recent ethnic violence, had taken shelter in Mizoram, officials in Aizawl said on Tuesday.

Mizoram Home Department officials said that as the situation in several tribal dominated districts of Manipur are very volatile, more tribals belonging to Chin, Kuki, Mizo, Zomi are likely to come to Mizoram to take shelter.

Of the 6,520 people, the highest number of 2,238 tribals took shelter in Mizoram's Saitual district followed by 2,119 people in Aizawl district and 1,993 in Kolasib district.

Over 140 displaced people took shelter in Champhai district, bordering Myanmar, while Khawzawl and Serchhip districts have 17 and 14 displaced people respectively.

Officials said that a large number of people from Manipur took shelter in the homes of their relatives and friends in Mizoram, while many of the hapless people were lodged in community halls, schools and vacant buildings.

Tribal leaders in Manipur and Mizoram are discussing among themselves and they would soon hold a meeting involving the civil societies to deliberate on the issue of the future of Zo tribal community in Manipur.

Meanwhile, 10 tribal legislators belonging to Chin, Kuki, Mizo, Zomi, and Hmar tribal communities have been demanding a separate state for the tribals dividing Manipur.

One of the tribal MLAs in Manipur said that they would soon meet Union Home Minister Amit Shah in New Delhi to apprise him about their demand.

"There are no tribals left in the Imphal valley. There are no Meiteis left in the hills. The government of Manipur and its police machinery were communalised and used in the pogrom against the Kuki tribals," a jointly-signed letter of the 10 MLAs to Shah said on Monday.

The riots in Manipur claimed the lives of 73 people and injured 250, and resulted om destruction or burning down of 1,800 houses and destruction of government and private properties.