Manipur crisis: Special flight with 72 people from Telangana lands in Hyderabad, another 34 on the way

Hyderabad: As many as 72 people from Telangana, mostly stranded students, arrived here from Imphal on Monday afternoon by a special flight arranged by the state government.

Telangana Minister for Education Ch Malla Reddy and senior officials received them at the Rajiv Gandhi International Airport.

"Telangana government has brought 72 students and civilians in distressed condition by direct flight from Imphal to Hyderabad. Another 34 are reaching via Kolkota to Hyderabad by today evening," a government press release said.

Students studying in NIT, IIIT, JIMS, Manipur Agriculture university and some distressed civilians, including a one-month-old baby and its parents from Nirmal district, have been safely brought back. All of them thanked the Telangana government for the humanitarian effort, the release further said.

Two more flights are coming by tonight with students and other persons onboard. The Revenue and Police officials made all arrangements to ensure that the students reach their homes safely, Reddy told media persons at the airport.

A student, who is studying BTech in Imphal, told reporters at the airport that the students in the hostel faced a lot of problems with regards to food and other amenities.

"There was no water supply in the hostel. We had to collect water in a bucket everyday and use it for our basic daily needs. We thank our KCR (Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao) government for helping us," the student said, adding they heard sounds of blasts in their locality in the northeastern state.

Some students said they would not mind going back to their educational institutions in Manipur as and when the situation improves.

In the wake of prevailing law and order situation in Manipur, the Telangana government had decided to airlift its students and citizens from Imphal to Hyderabad.

Telangana Chief Secretary Shanti Kumari contacted her Mainpur counterpart to facilitate the safe transit of Telangana students from the northeastern state.

Riots broke out in Manipur between the Meitei community, which mainly live in Imphal Valley, and Naga and Kuki tribals who are inhabitants of the hill districts over the demand of the former for ST status.

Life was crawling back to normal in violence-hit Manipur on Monday as people came out of their homes to buy essential items with the curfew being relaxed for a few hours in the morning, officials said.