The curfew in the West Imphal district will be lifted from 5 AM to 6 PM on Monday (July 3), following a visit by Chief Minister Biren Singh to the hills bordering Bishnupur and Churachandpur on Sunday. Chief Minister Biren Singh visited the hills near Bishnupur-Churachandpur to assess the situation on the ground yesterday.
According to the District Magistrate's order, "there is considerable improvement in the law and orders in the district and there is a need to relax the restriction of movement to facilitate the general public to purchase the essential items including medicines and food items," news agency PTI reported.
"Now, therefore, the restriction of general public movement outside their residences is hereby lifted for 3rd July, 2023 (Monday) from 05:00 AM to 06:00 PM for all areas of Imphal West District," the order stated.
"However, movement of persons belonging to essential services such as Health, Electricity, PHED, Municipality, Press and Electronic media, and functioning of Courts shall be exempted from further imposition of curfew after the expiry of the period of relaxation," the order added.
Meanwhile, the United Peoples' Front (UPF) and Kuki National Organisation (KNO), two umbrella Kuki organisations, have withdrawn roadblocks in Manipur’s Kangpokpi district on National Highway 2.
In a joint statement, the two organisations, which represent among others former militant groups that have signed suspension of operations pacts with the government, said the blockade on the highway has been lifted with immediate effect, following an appeal by Union Home Minister Amit Shah, PTI reported.
The organisations said the home minister had shown “deep concern to restore peace and harmony” in the state.However, Kuki civil society group Committee on Tribal Unity (COTU), which had announced a roadblock on NH-2 two months ago, has not officially withdrawn the agitation yet.
Manipur has two national highways -- NH-2 (Imphal-Dimapur) and NH-37 (Imphal-Jiribam).The NH-2 has been blocked by Kuki organisations since the violence broke out in Manipur on May 3, and was temporarily opened following Shah's visit in late May.
The decision to lift the blockade comes following a recent meeting of the UPF, KNO, and other Kuki groups with Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma in Guwahati, PTI reported sources close to the development as saying.
Ethnic clashes erupted in the state nearly two months ago on May 3 during a rally organised by the All Tribal Students Union (ATSU) to protest the inclusion of Meiteis on the list of Scheduled Tribes (STs). To date, the Assam Rifles have evacuated over 50,000 displaced people from all communities in violence-torn Manipur, providing them with safe passage, shelter, food, and medicine.
Earlier on June 24, Home Minister Shah promised to restore peace in the state, while opposition parties questioned Prime Minister Narendra Modi's 'silence' on the issue at an all-party meeting on the violence in Manipur.
Amit Shah also convened a meeting to assess the situation in the violence-plagued state. Among those present were BJP national president JP Nadda, Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma, and CPI (M) MP John Brittas.