Manas Dasgupta
NEW DELHI, Nov 16: The Manipur government on Saturday imposed curfew in Imphal and suspended internet services in seven districts after Protesters attacked and demonstrated in front of the homes of at least two Manipur Ministers and three MLAs in the capital city demanding justice for the murder of three six Meitei community members who were taken hostage in Jiribam district bordering with Assam.
The protests turned violent when demonstrators stormed the residences of two ministers and three MLAs in Imphal. The mob attacks on legislators’ houses prompted the Imphal West administration to impose prohibitory orders in the district for an indefinite period. The authorities have suspended internet and mobile data services for two days in Imphal West, East, Bishnupur, Thoubal, Kakching, Kangpokpi and Churachandpur.
The protesters, mostly members of the Meira Paibis (women’s groups, meaning torchbearers) formed human chains and blocked arterial roads in and around the State’s capital Imphal to stop vehicular movements. Major daily markets and business establishments closed down around noon after anticipation of a prolonged shutdown led to panic buying among the people.
Officials reported that a mob attacked the residence of Health and Family Welfare Minister Sapam Ranjan in Lamphel Sanakeithel, and also targeted the house of Consumer Affairs and Public Distribution Minister L. Susindro Singh.
In the Sagolband area of Imphal West district, protesters gathered outside the residence of BJP legislator RK Imo, the son-in-law of Chief Minister N. Biren Singh, demanding an “appropriate response” to the killings and urging authorities to “arrest the culprits within 24 hours.”
The protesters who had gathered at the residence of independent legislator Sapam Nishikanta Singh in Tiddim Road, Keishamthong constituency, attacked the office of a local newspaper owned by the legislator after being informed that he was out of state. The mob also damaged temporary structures outside the building.
Imphal West District Magistrate Th. Kirankumar issued an order imposing the curfew from 4:30 pm on Saturday in response to the violence. The bodies of three individuals, believed to be among the six who went missing from Jiribam on Monday, were discovered floating in the River Jiri.
The unidentified bodies of a woman and two children were brought to Silchar in Assam last night and are currently being held at the hospital’s morgue for post-mortem. Officials are awaiting the post-mortem results and have collected photographs for identification purposes. Due to a lack of facilities in Jiribam, the autopsies of the bodies found in the area are being conducted in Silchar.
The police found six bodies five days after three women and three children, including an eight-month-old, from the Meitei community were taken hostage by suspected Kuki insurgents from Jiribam district, neighbouring Assam, top sources in the state government said.
The women and children were taken hostage by a group of suspected Kuki insurgents from Jiribam’s Bokobera neighbourhood while another group of insurgents were engaged in a gunfight with the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), sources have said.
Soon after the news of the recovery of the bodies, the State government beefed up security around the Raj Bhavan, the official residences of Chief Minister, Ministers, and MLAs, apart from the offices of political parties. It also declared a holiday for schools and colleges on Saturday. Internet has also been suspended in parts of Manipur’s Imphal Valley for two days from 5 p.m. on November 16.
Earlier in the day, the Union Home Ministry also issued a statement as a fresh wave of violence erupted in Manipur following the deaths of 11 suspected militants in an exchange of fire with security forces. The violence escalated the following day, with six civilians, including women and children, abducted by armed militants from the same area.
“The security scenario in Manipur has remained fragile for the past few days. Armed miscreants from both communities in conflict have been indulging in violence leading to unfortunate loss of lives and disruption in public order,” the Home Ministry said in its statement.
The Ministry further assured that strict action would be taken against anyone involved in violent or disruptive activities, and several key cases had been handed over to the National Investigation Agency (NIA) for further investigation.
