Imphal:

With no major incident reported from any of the districts in Manipur, curfew was relaxed in four Imphal Valley districts on Wednesday and the suspension on broadband internet was lifted, officials said on Tuesday.

Officials said that in view of improvement in law and order, curfew was relaxed in Imphal East and West, Thoubal and Kakching districts from 5 a.m. to 10 a.m. on Wednesday to enable the people to purchase essential items and to perform important work.

District magistrates of four districts issued separate notifications relaxing the curfew, which was imposed for an indefinite period on November 16 after the widespread violence started in the valley districts after the recovery of the bodies of three children and three women in Jiribam on November 15 and 16.

These six people, belonging to the Meitei community, were reportedly kidnapped by Kuki militants on November 11 from the relief camp in Jiribam district’s Borobekra sub-division.

Various civil society organisations organised rallies in Imphal West district to protest the reimposition of the Armed Forces (Special Power) Act (AFSPA in six police stations in five districts of the state.

The Manipur Home Department on Tuesday conditionally lifted the suspension on broadband services three days after imposing it in nine districts, considering the hardships faced by students, employees, common people, healthcare facilities, educational institutions and other offices.

According to an order of Commissioner, Home, N Ashok Kumar, the mobile internet and data services, however, remained suspended.

Meanwhile, a meeting of 26 MLAs of the ruling BJP-led NDA held on Monday night adopted resolutions urging the Centre to launch a “mass operation” within seven days against the Kuki militants responsible for killing six women and children in Jiribam.

The NDA MLAs also requested the union government to ban the Kuki militants responsible for the killings of six people.

The Monday night meeting also requested the Centre to hand over three cases of killings to the National Investigation Agency (NIA).

The cases include the killing of six innocent Meitei women and children in Jiribam, the death of a Hmar tribal woman who was burnt to death on November 7 in Jiribam and the killing of a Meitei community woman farmer in Saiton in Bishnupur district on November 9.

Meanwhile, the Coordinating Committee on Manipur Integrity (COCOMI), an apex body of the Meitei community, expressed displeasure with the NDA MLAs’ resolutions and issued a 24-hour ultimatum to review those, failing which they threatened to intensify their agitation.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Imphal:

Defying curfew, members of various civil society organisations on Tuesday held a rally in Manipur’s Imphal West district to protest against the reimposition of AFSPA in parts of the northeastern state.
The procession was, however, stopped by the police at Keisampat junction as it defied curfew orders clamped in view of recent violence in the northeastern state.

Members of All Manipur United Clubs Organisation (AMUCO), Poirei Leimarol Meira Paibi Apunba Manipur and other local bodies took out the rally from the Kwakeithel area in the district and covered around 3.5 km before being stopped, a protester said.

“We strongly condemn the reimposition of AFSPA in areas under six police stations. A firing incident occurred in Jiribam district just a few days after AFSPA was reimposed in Jiribam,” he said.

He referred to the Jiribam firing incident which left one person dead and another injured on Sunday night.

The incident occurred during a clash between security forces and a mob that was vandalising properties in the Babupara area of Jiribam.

The AFSPA gives armed forces operating in disturbed areas sweeping powers to search, arrest and open fire if they deem it necessary for the “maintenance of public order”.

The Centre has recently reimposed the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act in Manipur’s six police station areas, including the violence-hit Jiribam.

In a notification, the Union Home Ministry said the decision was taken given the continuous volatile situation there due to the ongoing ethnic violence.

The police station areas where AFSPA has been reimposed are Sekmai and Lamsang in Imphal West, Lamlai in Imphal East, Jiribam in Jiribam district, Leimakhong in Kangpokpi and Moirang in Bishnupur.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)