India's Manipur extends ban on internet services until June 30 amid ongoing violence

NEW DELHI, June 25 (Xinhua) -- A ban on internet services in India's northeastern state of Manipur has been extended till June 30 in the wake of continuing incidents of violence, said an official order from the state government on Sunday.

The ban has been in place since violence broke out between two communities, Meiteis and Kuki.

"There is apprehension that some anti-social elements might use social media extensively for transmission of images, hate speech and video messages inciting the public's passions, which might have serious repercussions for the law and order situation in the state," said the official order.

The northeastern state has been on edge since May 3 when large-scale violence broke out in the state during a tribal protest over the inclusion of the non-tribal Meiteis community for a scheduled tribe status.

The ethnic clashes claimed over 100 lives and displaced over 40,000 people. Nearly 300 people were injured and close to 1,700 houses burnt down during the violence in the state.