Imphal, May 12 (IANS): An Assam Rifles trooper was injured while defusing an improvised explosive device (IED) in Saitan village in Manipur's Bishnupur district on Friday morning,

Defence sources said that the injury was not serious. The para-military personnel were defusing the IED in Saitan village, around 60 km south of capital city Imphal.

The police said that the security forces continued their combing operation a day after a Manipur police commando was killed and four policemen were injured when Kuki militants attacked a police patrol party at Tronglaobi in the Bishnupur district on Thursday.

Claiming control over the overall situation in Manipur, officials said that 128 columns of the Army and Assam Rifles continued flag marches in the violence-hit areas in different districts.

The central forces also undertook round-the-clock aerial surveillance using drones and military choppers.

The Army's three-pronged domination strategy in Manipur is helping the state return to normalcy.

The Army is leaving no stone unturned in monitoring the troubled areas, not only in the hinterland, but also along the India-Myanmar border, a defence release said.

The overall situation in the ethnic violence-hit Manipur improved further on Friday with the authorities relaxing curfew in 11 districts, including Imphal West and Churachandpur, for four to nine hours. The Army and central paramilitary forces continued their vigil in the sensitive and mixed population areas.

Mobile internet services continued to remain suspended in the state affecting the banking and other important government and non-government services.

Manipur witnessed violent clashes, attacks, counter attacks and arson in more than 10 districts during and after the May 3 'Tribal Solidarity March' called by the All Tribal Students Union of Manipur (ATSUM) to oppose the demand for inclusion of the Meitei community in the Scheduled Tribe category.

According to the Manipur government's newly appointed Security Advisor Kuldiep Singh the recent ethnic violence has claimed 66 lives.

So far, 284 weapons and 6,700 rounds of ammunition have been recovered after miscreants looted them from the security and police personnel.

After the violence broke out on May 3, the rioters snatched 1,041 weapons and 7,460 rounds of ammunition from the security forces.

The May 3 incidents were preceded by anger and strong opposition to the eviction of Kuki villagers from reserve and protected forest land and destruction of poppy cultivation by the state government leading to a series of agitations and tension between the majority Meiteis and the minority Kukis.