The state administration of Manipur has halted mobile internet service for five days in order to address the deteriorating law and order situation that has arisen as a result of tribal groups holding rallies in many districts. A night curfew has also been implemented in a number of the state’s districts in addition to the prohibition on big gatherings.
In Manipur’s areas plagued by violence, the Army organised a flag march today. Violence was reportedly present today in a few Imphal neighbourhoods. It was decided to use the Army and paramilitary forces to stop the rising violence.
According to sources, Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh and Home Minister Amit Shah discussed about the state’s law and order problems after tribal groups staged rallies in several of the state’s districts.
The Home Minister was informed about the current situation and the measures being taken by the state administration to manage it during the telephone call with the Chief Minister of Manipur, according to sources.
On orders from the Union home ministry, five companies of the Central Reserve Police Force’s (CRPF) Rapid Action Force (RAF) were airlifted on Thursday to the violently disturbed Manipur.
According to sources who spoke to ANI, the five RAF companies are made up of more than 500 soldiers who are skilled at handling unrest situations. The CRPF’s speciality wing for handling riot and crowd control situations is known as the RAF.
Boxing champion Mary Kom on Thursday made a heartfelt appeal urging the Centre to help her state which she said is “burning”.
“My state Manipur is burning, kindly help,” the veteran boxer tweeted in the early hours today, sharing photos of violence. She tagged Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Amit Shah, and Rajnath Singh in her tweet.
A curfew has been enforced due to the circumstances in the tribally dominant Churachandpur, Kangpokpi, and Tengnoupal districts as well as the non-tribal Imphal West, Kakching, Thoubal, Jiribam, and Bishnupur districts.
With immediate effect, mobile internet services were shut down throughout the state for five days, but broadband services continued to run.
The All Tribals Students Union (ATSU) Manipur organised a rally in opposition to the demand for the inclusion of Meitei/Meetei in the ST category, and as a result, there were fights between youths and volunteers from various communities. As a result, the Manipur government issued a statement stating that “Internet services in Manipur were suspended for five days.”
According to insiders, there are two difficulties in the state that have contributed to the current scenario.
1)CM Biren Singh’s move to protect the forest faces resistance from illegal Immigrants and drug cartels.
2)The Manipur High Court’s recent direction to the State Government to consider the inclusion of Meitei in ST has led to an outburst from the tribal community who are ST.
Due to violence during a tribal movement on Wednesday, curfew was enforced in eight districts of Manipur and mobile internet services were shut down throughout the whole northeastern state.
Violence broke out during the “Tribal Solidarity March” organised by the All Tribal Student Union Manipur (ATSUM) in the Churachandpur district’s Torbung neighbourhood to oppose the non-tribal Meiteis’ quest for Scheduled Tribe (ST) designation because they predominate in the Imphal Valley.
Thousands of tribal people, who make up around 40% of the state’s population, marched in the procession, held signs, and sang anti-ST slogans.
The Valley, which makes up around a tenth of the former princely state’s land area, is home to the Meiteis, who make up 53% of the state’s population. They assert that “large-scale illegal immigration by Myanmarese and Bangladeshis” is the cause of their issues.
Many laws protect the Nagas and Kukis who make up the majority of the population in the hill districts, which make up a large portion of the state’s land mass.
The movement to include Meiteis in the ST category is being led by the Scheduled Tribe Demand Committee Manipur (STDCM), which stated that the demand is being made “more to protect our ancestral land, culture, and identity,” which they claimed was “threatened by illegal migration from Myanmar, Bangladesh, and by people from outside the state.”
