Manipur police evacuated 51 Kuki students from Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya (JNV) in Ukhrul, a Naga-dominated district, due to rising ethnic tensions triggered by an assault on February 7. The students were shifted to a JNV in Kangpokpi, which is dominated by the Kuki-Zo community. Exams for 18 students appearing for Class 10 and 12 board exams, scheduled between February 17 and April 4, were also moved to Kangpokpi. The police statement on February 16 said, "Along with them, the remaining students from the Kuki community of JNV Ramva were also evacuated as a precautionary measure." The evacuation included 20 girls housed at 40 Assam Rifles Battalion headquarters in Shangshak and 31 boys from the paramilitary base at Shokvao. During the evacuation, some local people mistook the students for troublemakers. However, Tangkhul Naga organisations helped cool tensions. The police spokesperson said, "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 evacuation was necessary after violence from February 7 to 13, which burned more than 50 homes of both communities. Fortunately, there were no deaths reported.