Imphal (PTI): More than 200 people belonging to the Meitei community have been evacuated from their villages in Manipur's Jiribam district and moved to a newly set up relief camp after violence broke out following the killing of a man allegedly by militants, officials said Saturday.
The houses of the people staying in the relief camp at Jiri Sports Complex were burnt in the outlying villages of Lamtai khunou, Dibong Khunou, Nunkhal and Begra in the Jiribam district by suspected militants.
Most of the newly displaced people were staying in villages more than 30 km from Jiribam town, an official said, adding "more security personnel have been rushed to the area."
The Manipur police have ordered state police commando personnel based in Imphal Valley to proceed to Jiribam on Saturday for duty with immediate effect.
Tension erupted in ethnic strife-torn Manipur's Jiribam district on Thursday evening after a 59-year-old man belonging to one community was killed allegedly by militants belonging to another, police said.
The man, identified as Soibam Saratkumar Singh, went missing after he had gone to his farm in the morning. Later, his body was found, with wounds made by a sharp object, a police officer said.
Following the incident, irate locals set fire to an abandoned structure as retaliation, he said.
Locals also staged a protest in front of Jiribam police station demanding that their licensed firearms taken from them in the wake of elections be returned to them after the completion of the polls.
Jiribam, which has a diverse ethnic composition comprising Meiteis, Muslims, Nagas, Kukis and non-Manipuris, had so far remained unaffected by the ethnic strife which has been raging in Manipur since May last year.
The ethnic conflict between Imphal Valley-based Meiteis and hills-based Kukis has led to the deaths of over 200 people and rendered thousands of people homeless.
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Bhatkal: The Karnataka unit of the All India Ideal Teachers Association (AIITA) has welcomed the Karnataka government’s decision to strictly ban school children from dancing to obscene songs during educational and cultural programmes in government, aided, and private schools across the state.
AIITA Karnataka State President M. R. Manvi congratulated the government for taking what he termed an important step to preserve the sanctity of education.
“Such decisions to safeguard the dignity of school children and uphold the values of education are the need of the hour. This rule should not be limited to government schools alone but must be strictly implemented in all private educational institutions as well,” he said.
He further urged the government to address other concerns within school programmes.
“The government should not only prohibit obscene dances in the name of school anniversaries, but also ensure that plays and dialogues that incite religious hatred are avoided. Schools should be centres of harmony, not platforms for spreading hatred,” he added.
According to a recent circular issued by the Department of School Education and Literacy, obscene dances are adversely affecting the mental health and moral values of students.
In this regard, schools have been advised to use songs that promote nationalism, positive thinking, the greatness of Kannada culture, and value-based traditions instead of inappropriate content during programmes.
The circular also emphasises that students should be dressed in decent attire.
AIITA also backed the department’s warning that disciplinary action would be taken against head teachers if such guidelines are violated. The association has further demanded that district Deputy Directors of Public Instruction strictly monitor the implementation of these rules.
