Smoke and flames rise from houses allegedly set ablaze by armed miscreants at Litan Sareikhong village in Ukhrul district of Manipur last week.
| Photo Credit: PTI
The Manipur police have evacuated 51 Kuki students from a school in the Naga-dominated Ukhrul district amid tensions between the two communities triggered by an assault case on February 7.
In a statement issued early Tuesday (February 17, 2026), the police said the students were temporarily shifted from Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya (JNV) at Ramva in Ukhrul to a JNV in the adjoining Kangpokpi district. Exam centres for 18 of these students appearing for Class 10 and Class 12 board exams have also been shifted to the Kangpokpi JNV, officials said.
Kangpokpi is dominated by the Kuki-Zo community. The Class 10 and Class 12 exams are scheduled from February 17 to April 4.
“Along with them, the remaining students from the Kuki community of JNV Ramva were also evacuated as a precautionary measure,” the statement read.
The evacuation involved 20 girls housed at the 40 Assam Rifles Battalion headquarters at Shangshak and 31 boys from the company operating base of the paramilitary force at Shokvao.
Also read: Explained | What is behind Manipur’s widespread unrest?
“During the evacuation process, some members of the public mistook them for miscreants,” a Manipur police spokesperson said, adding that members of Tangkhul Naga organisations helped de-escalate tensions. “Their efforts in persuading villagers across Shangshak, Ramva, Shokvao, T.M. Kasom, and S. Laho ensured the safe evacuation of the students to Litan police station despite heightened tensions,” the spokesperson said.
According to the officials, the evacuation was deemed necessary after violence in Litan and adjoining areas between February 7 and 13. Although no one was killed, more than 50 houses belonging to members of both tribal communities were torched during the violence.
Published – February 17, 2026 04:22 pm IST
