IMPHAL, Nov 28: The Manipur government announced on Thursday that schools and colleges in Imphal Valley districts will reopen from November 29, after being closed for nearly two weeks due to escalating violence in the region. Educational institutions in these areas have been shut since November 16, following the discovery of six bodies—three women and three children—from the Jiri and Barak rivers in Manipur and Assam, respectively.
The bodies of the six victims, belonging to the Meitei community, were found after they had gone missing from a relief camp in Jiribam. The incident occurred in the aftermath of a gunfight between security forces and suspected Kuki-Zo militants on November 11, which resulted in the deaths of 10 insurgents.
According to an order issued by the Directorate of Education, normal classes will resume in all schools—government, government-aided, private, and central—from November 29. Additionally, government educational institutions and government-aided colleges under the Higher and Technical Education Department, including state universities, will restart classes from Friday.
The decision to resume classes follows the lifting of some restrictions, although prohibitory orders were still in effect as of Thursday in the Imphal Valley districts.
