Tension Persists In Manipur's Imphal Amid Curfew After Protests Over Release Of 5 Men

The situation today in the twin districts of Imphal East and West where curfew was imposed a day before, remained tense but normal.

Protest at Phougakchao Ikhai in Bishnupur. (Image used for representational purposes only.)

Source : PTI Images

The atmosphere remained tense but relatively stable on Friday (September 22) in the twin districts of Imphal East and Imphal West, where a curfew had been enforced a day earlier, news agency PTI reported. The curfew came into effect on Thursday in response to escalating tensions, as demonstrators swarmed police stations, demanding the release of five individuals who had been apprehended for possessing sophisticated weaponry and donning camouflage uniforms reminiscent of military attire.

According to the report, the unrest led to more than 30 people, primarily women, sustaining minor injuries as they attempted to breach police stations in Porompat and Heingang within the Imphal East district, as well as in Singjamei and Kwakeithel in the Imphal West district. Security forces, including personnel from the Rapid Action Force (RAF), resorted to firing multiple rounds of tear gas shells to maintain control of the situation.

Authorities in both Imphal East and Imphal West districts, however, granted exemptions from the curfew to essential personnel, such as those employed by the municipality, electricity, healthcare services, the Public Health Engineering Department (PHED), media professionals, and flight passengers traveling to the airport, the report said.

Meanwhile, curfew restrictions were eased in the remaining areas of the Imphal valley, encompassing Thoubal, Kakching, and Bishnupur districts, to facilitate the general public's access to vital supplies, including medicines and food items, as per the report. 

In Thoubal district, curfew hours have been relaxed from 5 AM to 9 PM, while in Bishnupur, it has been adjusted from 5 AM to 5 PM. The measures aim to balance public safety with essential needs during this period of tension and unrest, it said. 

Manipur police arrested five people on September 16 for carrying sophisticated weapons and wearing camouflage uniforms. According to the police, all five men were produced before a judicial magistrate and remanded to police custody.

In other news, the Manipur government has served a show cause notice on a private telecom company for providing "internet data services in mobile phones while the suspension of mobile data service is still in effect," an official told PTI.

On September 20, internet data services in mobile phones were discovered in some areas of Churachandpur and the neighbouring Bishnupur district, according to the official.