A 24-hour bandh in hill districts of Manipur has been called by a local committee from midnight Sunday night in protest against the state government's proposal to hold elections to the autonomous district councils.
In a statement in Imphal on Sunday, the Manipur Tribal Joint Action Committee Against Election Under Unwanted District Council Act said the bandh would be enforced in all the hill districts of Manipur.
Alleging that the present Manipur District Council Act 2008 did not give enough monetary power to the councils in the hill districts Ukhrul, Chandel, Tamenglong, Senapati and Churachandpur, the committee threatened to launch other forms of agitation if the state government did not stop the election process.
With the same demand, the All Naga Students Association Manipur (ANSAM) had also begun an indefinite economic blockade from Saturday along the Imphal-Dimapur National Highway 39 and Imphal-Jiribam National Highway 53.
Official sources, however, denied the charges of the organisations saying the district councils had enough monetary power.