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NEW DELHI – Schools reopened in India’s north-eastern state of Manipur on Sept 17, more than a week after they shuttered due to deadly ethnic violence and clashes between protesters and police, the local government said. Fighting broke out in Manipur in May 2023 between the predominantly Hindu Meitei majority and the mainly Christian Kuki community. After months of relative calm, an uptick in violence in September saw at least 11 people killed, including by insurgents reportedly firing rockets and dropping bombs with drones. Subsequent demonstrations by Meitei students against the fighting in the state capital Imphal turned violent, prompting the authorities to issue a curfew and an internet blackout in parts of the state. The violence has since abated, and a government order said “normal classes will resume for all schools in the state” starting Sept 17, a day after internet services were restored. “I urge everyone to use the internet responsibly and refrain from sharing or posting any unnecessary or inflammatory content that may disturb the peace and harmony,” state chief minister Biren Singh said. The Indian government is also in talks seeking to resolve the long-running conflict between the Meitei and Kuki, said Interior Minister Amit Shah at a press conference on Sept 17. “We hope that we will be able to bring the situation (in Manipur) under control,” Mr Shah told reporters at an event outlining the first 100 days of the third term of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s administration. “If both (ethnic groups) do not come to an understanding, there won’t be a resolution to the matter,” Mr Shah said, adding that the government was prepared with a “road map” outlining a range of efforts for the coming days. Manipur’s government is led by Mr Modi and Mr Shah’s Bharatiya Janata Party. At least 225 people have died and some 60,000 have been displaced since fighting broke out in 2023 between the Meitei and Kuki communities over the sharing of economic benefits and quotas in government jobs and education that are given to the tribal Kukis. AFP, REUTERS