An indefinite curfew has been imposed in both districts of Imphal. Defying curfew, more than a thousand students staged protests in the state capital for the second day today against the drone and missile attacks. The protests continued despite tear gas shells and firing in air by the security forces.
The students have also met the Governor today and placed their six-point demand . He has promised that he will discuss our demands with the Centre and the state..
The Centre has sent two fresh battalions of Central Reserve Police Force or CRPF to the state. It would mean an additional 2000 troops in Manipur, which has been witnessing violence since May last year.
The Higher and Technical Education Department has closed all institutions run or aided by the government as well as private colleges, till September 12.
The Manipur University has already postponed exams for various undergraduate and postgraduate programmes. The students have been holding protests objecting to the move.
The army, Assam Rifles, and other security forces, meanwhile, have conducted joint operations across various districts and recovered substantial quantities of arms and ammunition.
State police chief IK Muviah has said they are likely to hand over all the evidence in the drone bombing case to the Central investigating agencies, who may eventually investigate the case. “We have recovered all the bomb fragments; they have been sent to the forensic lab so that chemicals used can be detected,” he said.
More than 200 people have been killed and thousands made homeless in ethnic strife between Imphal Valley-based Meiteis and adjoining hills-based Kukis since May last year.
The Meiteis want to be included under the Scheduled Tribes category. The Kukis want a separate administration carved out of Manipur, citing discrimination and unequal share of resources and power with the Meiteis.
Last week, in a massive escalation of the ethnic violence, bombs were dropped by drones and snipers were used by “suspected Kuki militants” to attack civilians, in which two persons died and 10 were injured. Among those dead were two policemen, a TV reporter and a woman.
