Streets deserted in curfew-bound  Manipur districts

way2barak, Sep 11 : Manipur’s capital, its adjoining localities and the three curfew-bound districts of Imphal East, Imphal West, and Thoubal wore a deserted look on Wednesday while the security forces were on a high alert to foil any attack or ethnic clashes in the state, officials said.

Apprehending fresh trouble in Imphal, and its adjoining areas, authorities on Tuesday reimposed curfew for an indefinite period in the three districts. Mobile internet services were also suspended in five districts and educational institutions closed till September 12 in view of the students’ protests.

Officials said that no untoward incident was reported from anywhere in the trouble-torn state on Wednesday.

According to officials, the Civil Secretariat and a few other government offices in Imphal were functioning but the presence of employees was very thin.

Except for emergency and medical purposes, most people in the three curfew-bound districts prefer to remain indoors.

Amidst tension and fear among the people, a huge number of security forces were deployed in the sensitive, mixed population, and vulnerable areas.

A senior police official said that regular patrolling by police personnel and paramilitary troopers was underway in most places to foil any untoward incident.

“The overall situation in Imphal and other districts remained tense but under control,” the official told the media.

Defying the curfew, over a thousand students staged protests in Imphal for the second day on Tuesday even as security forces lobbed teargas shells and fired in the air to disperse them. According to various student bodies, more than 55 students were injured in the clashes with the security personnel and admitted to various hospitals including the Regional Institute of Medical Sciences.

The students, who have been agitating for the removal of the Security Advisor to the government, and Director General of Police, handing over of the Unified Command charge to the state government, and withdrawal of Central forces from the state, expressed their dissatisfaction, stating that since their demands were not met, all schools and colleges will shut down indefinitely. They said that their further course of action would be decided after consultations with fellow students.

The students are also demanding that the 50 MLAs of Manipur, excluding the 10 Kuki-Zo lawmakers, must announce their final stand and act now or else they are morally obliged to resign.

A Manipur Police statement said that in the follow-up action during the students’ protests, several people including police personnel sustained minor injuries and are undergoing treatment at various hospitals.

A Raj Bhavan statement said that representatives of students met Governor Lakshman Prasad Acharya on Tuesday evening and submitted a memorandum, urging him to take up appropriate steps for fulfilling their demands, which included restoring peace and normalcy, curbing militant activities, and protecting the territorial integrity of Manipur.

“While giving a patient hearing to the students, the Governor said they are the future of our nation. He assured them of taking steps in the best interest of the students and the people of Manipur,” the statement said.

Acharya, who is the Governor of Assam and holds additional charge of Manipur, on Wednesday left Imphal for Guwahati.

Meanwhile, security forces including Assam Rifles, Central Armed Police Forces and Manipur Police commandos, continued their counter-insurgency operations across the state to nab the militants and recover arms and ammunition.

Violence escalated in the trouble-torn state since September 1, leaving at least 12 people, including two women, elderly persons and a retired soldier, dead and injuring over 20 people, by suspected militants and armed cadres in different districts. Of the 12 deaths, six people alone were killed in Jiribam district, adjoining southern Assam.