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#AceBreakingNews – UPDATE – The death toll after ethnic clashes in India’s remote north-east has risen to 54, with fresh violence overnight despite authorities rushing in troops to restore order.

Thousands of soldiers were sent to Manipur state after a protest march by a tribal group turned violent on Wednesday.

Authorities imposed an internet blackout and issued shoot-at-sight orders in “extreme cases” in an effort to contain the unrest.

Hospital morgues in the state capital Imphal, and in Churachandpur district further south, had reported a combined total of 54 dead, Press Trust of India news agency reported.

Kuldeep Singh, security adviser to the Manipur government, said there had been incidents of looting and arson in parts of the remote state bordering Myanmar in recent days, with more than 500 houses burnt and some vehicles set ablaze.

“About 100 people were injured and were treated in various hospitals,” he told journalists in Imphal.

Manipur Director General of Police P Doungel said orders had been given to take strict action against anyone found involved in acts of violence.

“We have asked army to stage flag marches in violence-hit areas and instructed the forces to take stringent action against anyone involved in violence,” Mr Doungel told journalists.

The Meitei people, the largest single ethnic group in the state, have been agitating to be granted scheduled tribe status, but the other recognised tribes in Manipur oppose that move.

India reserves some government jobs, college admissions and elected seats, from village councils to the parliament, for communities under the scheduled tribe category as a form of affirmative action to tackle historical structural inequality and discrimination.

Last month, the Manipur High Court asked the government to consider the Meitei community’s plea and decide on it.

Fresh clashes overnight

The situation remained tense after a fresh bout of violence on Friday night, hours after the state’s top police officer warned that rioters had stolen arms and ammunition from police stations.

Mr Doungel told reporters on Friday that security forces were bringing the situation under control. 

Army patrols had “gone a long way to quell the thing off”, he said. 

But he added that some police stations had been overrun by “miscreants” who stole arms and ammunition, and issued a public appeal for their return.

Security forces and the Manipur government have yet to issue an official death toll for this week’s violence. 

India’s law minister Kiren Rijiju told reporters on Saturday that “many lives have been lost” after days of clashes, alongside damage to property.

On Thursday, security forces fired tear gas in Imphal to disperse protesters. Burnt-out vehicles were seen on streets otherwise empty due to the imposition of a round-the-clock curfew. Defence officials said on Friday that additional troops had been brought into the state by road and air.(AFP)none

Defence officials said on Friday that additional troops had been brought into the state by road and air.

The internet blackout has impeded the flow of information from Manipur and details of the latest clashes remain sparse.

‘We fled for our lives’

An Indian army unit based in neighbouring Nagaland state said 13,000 people had sought shelter from the violence. 

“My sons convinced me to escape to safety,” Pishakmacha Thokchom, 53, told AFP from one of the relief centres set up in Imphal East district.

“But they stayed behind and I’m now deeply worried for them,” she added.

Vijaya Thingaijam, 47, sheltering at the same centre, told AFP he had fled in a panic after a group began firing guns.

“We abandoned all our belongings and fled for our lives,” he said. Authorities said more than 500 houses were burnt.(AFP)none

Manipur is part of India’s remote north-east, a region linked to the rest of the country by a narrow land corridor that has seen decades of unrest among ethnic and separatist groups.

The north-east is home to dozens of tribal groups and small guerilla armies whose demands range from greater autonomy to secession from India. 

At least 50,000 people have lost their lives in the conflicts since the first insurgency broke out in Manipur in the early 1950s. 

These conflicts have waned over the years, with many groups striking deals with New Delhi for more powers.

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