Curfew in 3 Manipur districts, protesting students assemble in Imphal market

Imphal: The authorities in Manipur on Tuesday reimposed curfew in three districts — Imphal East, Imphal West and Thoubal — after apprehending fresh trouble in the capital city and the adjoining areas.

Hundreds of students, who on Monday staged a demonstration in front of Manipur Chief Minister’s Secretariat and Raj Bhavan in Imphal to protest the rising violence in the state, again gathered in the all-women market — Ima Market (also known as the Nupi Keithel), as the police have been pursuing them to return to their homes.

Students locked themselves on the first floor of the market, which also closed on Tuesday due to the reimposition of the curfew.

A senior Home Department official said that due to the developing law and order situation in Imphal East, Imphal West and Thoubal districts, the curfew was reimposed from 11 a.m. and the security forces have further tightened the vigil and searches. Search operations are going on in different places to locate any kind of inimical object or attempt or to find out any troublemakers.

“We urge all concerned people to maintain peace and refrain from any troubles or violation of law and order. We already asked the people not to heed any unfounded social media posts, photos and videos. Strict action would be taken against those who violate the law and disturb the peace and ethnic harmony,” the official told the media.

Thousands of students belonging to various schools and colleges on Monday staged demonstrations in front of Manipur Chief Minister’s Secretariat and Raj Bhavan in Imphal and a few other districts to protest against the rising violence, protect territorial integrity and demand handing over of Unified Command to the state government to deal with the militant outfits and armed cadres.

The students wearing their school and college uniforms were heard raising slogans like “Long Live Manipur”, “Resign all incompetent MLAs”, and “Give Unified Command charge to the state government”.

They also expressed their anger against the administration and various authorities for “inept handling of the situation of the state”.

The student leaders also on Monday separately met Chief Minister N. Biren Singh and urged him to take steps for the immediate restoration of peace and normalcy.

The students also demanded the withdrawal of additional Central forces deployed to manage the ongoing ethnic violence, citing their “failure to restore peace despite the conflict persisting for over a year and a half”.

Their anger was directed at both the Central and state governments, holding them responsible for failing to resolve the ethnic crisis of the state.

Meanwhile, in view of the prevailing law and order situation, the Education Department of the Manipur government closed all the government, government-aided and private schools across the state till Tuesday.

Since September 1, the violence escalated in the trouble-torn state, killing at least 12 people, including two women, elderly persons and a retired Army soldier and injuring over 20 people, by suspected militants and armed cadres in different districts.

Combined security forces comprising Assam Rifles, Central Armed Police Forces and Manipur police commando also intensified their counter-insurgency operations across the state to nab the militants and recover arms and ammunition.

IANS