Shutdown hits normal life in Manipur’s five districts for 2nd day

way2barak, Sep 20 : The 48-hour shutdown, called by the various civil society organisations and local clubs across the state demanding unconditional release of five ‘village protection volunteers’, badly affected the normal life in Manipur’s five valley districts for the second day on Wednesday.

A top police official on Wednesday said that they would not release the five people as they were caught with sophisticated arms and ammunition.

Police officials said that though there are some minor incidents reported from the valley districts, no major incidents happened relating to the shutdown.

In view of the shutdown, commuters, though few in numbers, faced a huge problem as the agitators, including women, in Imphal East and Imphal West districts blocked the important roads with wooden logs, water pipes and burning of tyres.

Movement of Central and state security forces were obstructed in many places as the agitators blockaded many roads.

However, essential services and ambulances were allowed to move.

Owing to the shutdown in five valley districts, all civilian vehicles, excluding those of security forces were off the roads, inter-district, inter-state buses and trucks did not operate.

Markets, shops, business establishments, banks, government offices, educational institutions were closed in the five valley districts — Bishnupur, Kakching, Thoubal, Imphal West, and Imphal East.

Examinations of various institutions scheduled on Tuesday and Wednesday were postponed.

Police officials earlier said that Manipur Police arrested five persons on Saturday with sophisticated weapons in camouflage uniform.

A large number of men and women came out on Sunday to protest the arrest and tried to storm Porompat police station in Imphal East district demanding release of the arrested persons, but the security forces repelled the police station attack by firing tear gas shells.

Several people including a Rapid Action Force personnel received minor injuries during the tussles.

The civil society organisations earlier set a deadline to release the five detainees, but police rejected the demand.

The agitating organisations threatened to intensify their agitations if the ‘volunteers’ were not released after the 48-hour shut down, which was started from the intervening night of Monday and Tuesday.

Additional security forces deployed in various vulnerable, sensitive and mixed populated areas of the state, specially in valley districts to avoid major incidents.

M. Memcha, a spokesperson of the agitating organisations, claimed that the village protection volunteers were “protecting Meitei villagers from the attacks of the Kuki tribals and armed militants”.

The five valley districts, where the shutdown was total, inhabited by the majority non-tribal Meitei community people.