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Manipur: 6 including 3 CRPF personnel injured; 5-day shutdown called
A large number of protestors marched towards Khwairamband Ima market and were blocked at several locations
Six persons, including three women Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel were injured after a clash broke out between protestors and security forces during a torch rally held in Manipur’s Thangmeiband region in Imphal on Saturday, police said.
A large number of protestors marched towards Khwairamband Ima market and were blocked at several locations. Confrontations broke out in Thangmeiband, Sagolband and Uripok areas of Imphal West.
Security forces lathi-charged, fired tear gas shells, mock bombs, rubber bullets, and live rounds to control the protestors, who retaliated by throwing stones and firing slingshots.
At least six people, including three CRPF personnel—Ritika Kumari, Santosh Kumari and Sancita Indra—were injured and taken to the nearby health care centre.
Following this, Meira Paibis (a collective of Meitei women) and several other civil bodies called for a five-day total shutdown effective from Sunday midnight.
Also Read: Ex-serviceman killed in suspected militant ambush in Manipur: Police
Several marketplaces have shut down, and security forces have been deployed. Protestors blocked roads with wooden logs and burned tyres.
A series of torch rallies by the All Manipur United Clubs’ Organisation (AMUCO) and the Coordinating Committee on Manipur Integrity (COCOMI) have been ongoing in the state since April 11 to protest the April 7 bomb attack in Tronglaobi, Bishnupur district, which claimed the lives of two children.
Following this, three protestors were killed during a CRPF firing in Gelmol village in Churachandpur, a Kuki-Zo-dominated district.
The government citing a “volatile law and order situation” imposed a three-day suspension of internet service on April 7. While broadband services, specifically Internet Leased Line and Fiber to the Home connections, were conditionally restored on April 8, restrictions on mobile internet continued in phased manner. On Saturday, the ban on internet services was lifted.
Unrest in Manipur has claimed at least 260 lives and displaced around 60,000 people since May 2023. It first began between the Meitei and Kuki communities and has since involved almost every group.
