Ultras force closure of 2 Catholic schools in Manipur

IMPHAL, February 23: Two prestigious girls' Catholic schools in Manipur have been forced to close down indefinitely by armed militants, official sources said today, reports PTI. The sources said militants forced the closure of Little Flower High School and Nirmalabas School in the heart of Imphal town following the 'failure to pay the money demanded by the militants." The sources said investigation was on to find out identities of the militants. Authorities in the schools told PTI that they received calls from unidentified persons yesterday and asked them to close down the schools. The school authorities did not mention the amount. Armed extremists had set afire portion of Little Flower School about two years ago following the 'failure to pay the money to an underground group,' officials sources added. Some thousands of students in both the schools faced an uncertain future following the closure of their schools as several hundreds of them will be appearing the High School Leaving Certificate Examination early next year, school authorities said. They said they would call a joint meeting of the parents and the school authorities to discuss the issue arising out of the closure of the schools.