Manipur: Normalcy Returns To Violence-Hit Churachandpur After Indigenous Tribal Forum Lifts 'Total Shutdown'

Schools in Churachandpur town of Manipur have reopened and markets along with business establishments have resumed their operations.

Police personnel fire tear gas at protesters in Imphal.

Source : PTI

New Delhi: Churachandpur town in Manipur, that had been in the throes of a fresh spate of violence, started limping back to normal after the Indigenous Tribal Leaders Forum (ITLF) lifted the "total shutdown" in the southern district on Saturday, news agency PTI reported. The town was rocked by violence after two people lost their lives in a clash with security forces two days back when a mob stormed the mini-secretariat to protest the suspension of a constable.

According to the report, schools in the district have reopened and markets along with business establishments have resumed their operations. However, the Kuki Student Organisation (KSO) and other student groups have decided to continue the indefinite "public curfew" from 6 pm to 6 am across the district.

Despite the town restoring normalcy, police said sporadic incidents of gunfire from peripheral villages adjacent to the hill district were reported.

Notably, the unrest began on Thursday night when a mob forcibly entered the mini-secretariat in Churachandpur to express their discontent over the suspension of Constable Siamlalpaul. The constable had been suspended after a viral video purportedly showed him in the company of armed individuals, PTI reported.

During the protest, public properties were damaged and there was widespread arson in and around the mini-secretariat area. The official residence of the deputy commissioner was also set ablaze by the agitated mob around 1 am on Friday, as per the report.

In the light of the situation, the ITLF has demanded the removal of Superintendent of Police Shivanand Surve and Deputy Commissioner S. Dharun Kumar, urging their replacement with officers preferably from the Kuki Zo community. They also warned that unless the suspension of Constable Siamlalpaul is revoked, all government offices would remain shut, holding the DC and SP responsible for any adverse consequences, PTI reported.

BSF Soldier Injured In Gun Attack

A Border Security Force (BSF) jawan sustained injuries in a gunfire incident in Manipur's Kakching district on Saturday, PTI reported.

The injured personnel, identified as 45-year-old Head Constable Som Dutt and hailing from Himachal Pradesh, reportedly suffered a gunshot wound to his left shoulder during the attack at Sugnu village.

Following the incident, Dutt was taken to a nearby private hospital for medical treatment.

"There have been consistent attacks by armed men for the last three days at Sugnu. On Friday night, they fired from the hill slopes using medium machine guns," PTI quoted a police official as saying.