Category: MANIPUR

• IMPHAL

Speaking to the media, CoTU's Information and Publicity Secretary, Thangtinlen Haokip said that the attack on the tribals on Monday by the militants once again clearly indicated their aggression in the Kuki-Zo-dominated territory.

Cyclone 'Midhili' would hit Tripura, Mizoram, Manipur, parts of Assam and other parts of northeastern states when it crossed to Bangladesh coast on Friday night or in the early hours of Saturday.

The five-day long Durga Puja festivities have gripped the people of the northeastern states, especially the puja revellers in Assam and Tripura. The festivities being organised in ethnic violence devastated Manipur in much subdued manner.

The unceasing five-month long ethnic conflict in Manipur, apart from claiming over 180 lives, leaving a trail of destruction and displacing over 70,000 people of various communities, has also exhausted the dreams of a large number of people, especially students studying professional courses.

Following a massive students’ agitations, the Manipur government had on September 26, two days after the ban was lifted after 143 days, had suspended mobile internet data services, internet/data services for five days before extending it again till October 6.  

The Congress-led 10 like-minded parties bloc in Manipur on Thursday said that the "double engine governments" of the BJP at the Centre and the state had, even after five months, utterly failed to restore peace and normalcy in the state.

The commission headed by its Chairman Justice Utpalendu Bikas Saha (retired) also asked the Commissioner (Home) to inform it how much interim compensation could be provided to the injured students on or before the next date of hearing of the case.

Even though the four-month long (June to September) Southwest monsoon yet to withdraw from the northeastern region, three of the eight states of the region -- Assam, Manipur and Mizoram -- witnessed deficient monsoon rainfall due to lack of rain-bearing clouds and monsoon troughs from the Bay of Bengal.

He said that on the direction of Union Home Minister Amit Shah, a special CBI team led by the agency's Special Director Ajay Bhatnagar, along with five officers, have been camping in Manipur since September 27.

The Chief Minister said the unrest was instigated by a group of people who want to disintegrate the state, but the crisis has been "made to look like" an ethnic or communal clash, or religion based, or between the "majority and minority groups".

Kangliepak Kanba Lup (KKL), an Imphal-based civil body, which put a three-year ban on Manipuri film actor Soma Laishram, lifted the interdict on Saturday, giving a breather to the 31-year-old film star.

The protests against the killings of the two young students in Manipur took a serious turn on Thursday night as the protestors attempted to attack Chief Minister N. Biren Singh’s private residence at Heingang in Imphal East district.

The Mizoram government has decided not to collect biometrics and biographic data of Myanmarese taking shelter in the state while the Manipur government has urged the Centre to extend the time for the process in the state by a year.

In view of the prevailing situation in strife-torn iManipur, the state government on Wednesday extended the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act, 1958 (AFSPA) in the entire state, excluding 19 police station areas including Imphal, for six months.

A special CBI team led by its Director will reach Imphal on Wednesday in a special flight to expedite the probe into the murder of two young students, Chief Minister N. Biren Singh said on Tuesday night.

Four days after the lifting of internet ban in strife-torn Manipur, the state government on Tuesday once again suspended internet services for five days till October 1 following the massive students’ agitation on Tuesday in protest against the killing of two young students by unidentified assailants, officials said.

At least 34 students, including girls, were injured after hundreds of students took to the streets in Imphal on Tuesday to protest against the killing of two young students by unidentified armed assailants.

A day after announcing the suspension of the “Free Movement Regime (FMR)” with Myanmar, Manipur Chief Minister N. Biren Singh on Sunday held a meeting with senior officials of the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) to erect border fencing along the India-Myanmar border in the state.

Though a very challenging task, the recovery of thousands of looted guns and ammunition is now the top priority for the authorities in ethnic violence hit Manipur as less than one third of such weapons have been recovered in the past 115 days.

Manipur Chief Minister N. Biren Singh on Saturday said that the ‘Free Movement Regime (FMR)” with Myanmar which allows people on either side to travel up to 16 km inside of either country is suspended at the moment and that the Centre has been requested to permanently close the FMR with the state.

In wake of a series of massive agitation for the past six days by many civil society organisations, a special NIA court here on Friday granted conditional bail to all five youths who were arrested on September 16 wearing security forces uniforms and armed with sophisticated weapons.

Thousands of agitators, mostly women, tried to storm various police stations in five valley districts -- Bishnupur, Kakching, Thoubal, Imphal West, and Imphal East -- but the huge contingent of Rapid Action Force and other security forces prevented them by firing tear gas shells.

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

Soma, who has acted in over 150 Manipuri films and bagged numerous awards, clarified that there were certain misjudgments over her participation at the New Delhi event on Saturday.

Normal life was badly affected in the valley areas of Manipur on Tuesday as various civil society organisations called a 48-hour shut down across the state demanding unconditional release of five ‘village protection volunteers’.