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Security stepped up in Manipur ahead of Independence Day
Security arrangements in Manipur district have been strengthened ahead of Independence Day after militant groups called for a strike and shutdown.
Security arrangements have been strengthened in the violence-hit Manipur district after some militant groups called for a strike and shutdown on Independence Day, officials said on Sunday.
Police and security personnel deployed in the state have been instructed to intensify patrolling and vehicle checks to ensure smooth celebration of Independence Day on Tuesday, officials aware of the matter said. “Security measures have been significantly heightened after several militant outfits called for a strike on I-Day,” an official was quoted by news agency PTI as saying.
Earlier in the week, the Coordination Committee (Corcom) -- a conglomerate of Valley-based militant outfits – called for a boycott of Independence Day functions in the state. Corcom includes Kangleipak Communist Party, Kanglei Yawol Kanna Lup, Peoples’ Revolutionary Party of Kangleipak, Revolutionary Peoples’ Front, Peoples’ Revolutionary Party of Kangleipak-Progressive, Peoples’ Liberation Army and United National Liberation Front. These outfits have been demanding sovereignty for Manipur.
The Corcom has urged the residents to stay indoors and not unfurl the tricolour. The umbrella organisation also called for a shutdown on I-day starting 1 am and ending at 6.30pm. Essential services including medical emergencies, water supply, fire services, media and social and religious functions have been exempted from the purview of the shutdown.
At least 152 people have been killed and nearly 50,000 displaced in Manipur since May 3, when ethnic violence erupted in the northeastern state between the numerically dominant Meitei community – which forms 53% of the state population and mostly inhabits the Imphal Valley – and the tribal Kukis, who live primarily in the hill districts. Clashes first broke out on May 3 in Churachandpur town after Kuki groups called for protests against a proposed tweak to the state’s reservation matrix, granting scheduled tribe (ST) status to the Meitei community.
On Saturday, an auto-rickshaw was torched by unidentified miscreants at Porompat Pangal Leirak area of Imphal East district, police said. According to people aware of the matter, the driver was ferrying goods for some residents when it was intercepted and burnt by a mob, adding that no one was injured in the incident. HT reached out to senior police officials for more details of the incident but did not receive a response immediately.
