Tripura to bring back all students stranded in violence-hit Manipur: CM

The government will reimburse the price of their air tickets, Saha said.Chief Secretary JK Sinha and Director-General of Police DGP Amitabh Ranjan were also present in the meeting, chaired by the chief minister.Ranjan said vigil has been stepped up in localities where Kuki tribals and Meiteis live to prevent any kind of violence.We have already alerted the police.

Tripura Chief Minister Manik Saha on Saturday said that all students from the state, who are stranded in violence-hit Manipur, will be brought back by two special flights.

The announcement came hours after the chief minister held a meeting with the parents of the students stuck in the trouble-torn state.

''The first flight with 37 students studying at Central Agriculture University in Imphal is expected to reach Guwahati on Saturday night, and they will return to Tripura on Sunday,'' Saha said, addressing a press conference at the Civil Secretariat.

The students who are studying at the Regional Institute of Medical Science (RIMS) will be boarding an Imphal-Agartala flight at 12.15 am on Sunday, he said.

As many as 208 students of the state, who are stuck in violence-hit Manipur, are scheduled to return home, he said, adding that the figure may rise. ''A team of the state government has already reached Imphal to handle the evacuation process. If any student or person from the state is left out, he or she will also be brought back. The government will reimburse the price of their air tickets,'' Saha said.

Chief Secretary JK Sinha and Director-General of Police (DGP) Amitabh Ranjan were also present in the meeting, chaired by the chief minister.

Ranjan said vigil has been stepped up in localities where Kuki tribals and Meiteis live to prevent any kind of violence.

''We have already alerted the police. The police stations concerned have been asked to monitor the areas where people of these two communities live. Besides, the cyber wing has been told to keep a close watch on social media to prevent any propaganda,'' he said.

In Tripura, around 70,000 Meiteis and Bishnupriya Meteis live. The population of Kukis is about 16,000.

Earlier in the day, Leader of Opposition Animesh Debbarma sought the chief minister's intervention to bring back the students of Tripura stranded in violence-hit Manipur.

''Students of the state are facing safety and security threats in Manipur, and in some hostels, food scarcity is also reported due to disruptions. I heard that there is no air ticket available on the Agartala-Imphal route till May 10. This is a serious problem,'' he said.

''If air tickets are not available, the state government should talk to airlines to make necessary arrangements to bring back all the students. I hope the chief minister will take proper steps till the situation becomes normal in Manipur,'' he added.

Violent clashes broke out between tribals and people belonging to the majority Meitei community in Manipur on Wednesday, displacing thousands of people and killing at least 54.

The clashes broke out after a 'Tribal Solidarity March' was organised in the ten hill districts to protest against the Meitei community's demand for Scheduled Tribe (ST) status.

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 percent of the population and live mostly in the hill districts.