Several protesters are reported to have been injured.
Imphal:
Protests against the killing of two students in Manipur intensified on Wednesday morning, leading to demonstrators clashing with police personnel in Imphal. Police baton-charged the protesters and fired tear gas shells to bring the situation under control.
Curfew has been reimposed in the state capital with immediate effect following the clashes.
Two photos of the girl and the boy, who went missing in July, emerged on Monday. The first photo shows the two teenagers – both of whom are 17 years old – sitting on the grass in what appears to be a jungle camp of an armed group. Two men with guns can be seen standing behind them. The next photo shows both of them dead, with their bodies lying on the ground.
Massive protests against the killings, led mainly by students, broke out on Tuesday night. The demonstrators attempted to march towards the residence of Chief Minister Biren Singh, but were stopped.
The protest continued near Kangla Fort, close to the chief minister’s residence, on Wednesday morning. Clashes broke out between the protesters and the police and, when attempts to control the situation failed, the police personnel resorted to a baton charge and firing tear gas shells at the protesters.
Initial reports point to several protesters being injured, some of them grievously.
CBI Investigation
Chief Minister Biren Singh has announced a probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) into the deaths of the two students. A team led by a special director of the agency reached Imphal this morning.
The prompt CBI investigation into the deaths of the students has sparked protests from members of the other community, who have accused the Biren Singh government of being partial ever since the ethnic violence broke out in the state on May 3.
The reimposition of the curfew in Imphal comes a day after the ban on mobile internet was put in place in the state again. The mobile internet ban had been lifted only on September 23, almost five months after it had been imposed. It was reimposed on Tuesday following protests over the killings of the two students.
AFSPA Extended
On Wednesday, the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act (AFSPA) was extended by another six months in Manipur. The areas that have been kept out of the purview of the controversial Act include 19 police stations falling under the Imphal valley and an area that shares its boundary with Assam.
The notification issued by the state home department states, “The Governor of Manipur is of the opinion that the violent activities of various extremist/insurgent groups warrant the use of Armed Forces in aid of civil administration in the entire State of Manipur except the areas falling under the jurisdiction of 19 Police Stations.”
The police station areas where the Disturbed Areas Act will not be in force are Imphal, Lamphel, City, Singjamei, Sekmai, Lamsang, Patsoi, Wangoi, Porompat, Heingang, Lamlai, Irilbung, Leimakhong, Thoubal, Bishnupur, Nambol, Moirang, Kakching and Jiribam.
Over 180 people have lost their lives and more than 3,000 have been injured in the ethnic violence in Manipur, which began on May 3, when a ‘Tribal Solidarity March’ was organised in the hill districts to protest against the Meitei community’s demand for Scheduled Tribe status.
More than 60,000 people remain displaced and property worth thousands of crores has been destroyed.
