Newmai News Network
Imphal: Normal life has been significantly disrupted in Manipur on Saturday, the first day of the 48-hour bandh called by the Joint Action Committee (JAC) formed in connection with the recent killing of a ‘village guard’ by armed miscreants.
Even though no major untoward incident was reported during the bandh today, which commenced at 5 am, protesters burnt effigies of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh, and Security Advisor to the Manipur government Kuldiep Singh at Langdum Lamkhai in Imphal East district.
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The bandh resulted in the closure of commercial establishments and other markets across the valley districts, while public transport services were suspended, with only a limited number of private vehicles on the roads. Schools and colleges remained closed for the day.
On the first day of the bandh, protesters, mostly women and youths, came out on roads at various places across the valley districts and blocked roads, disrupting vehicular movement.
They prevented the movement of all kinds of vehicles except those on essential services and religious-related matters, which the JAC exempted from the purview of the bandh.
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During the bandh, a large number of women came out at Langdum Lamkhai in Imphal East district and blocked the road passing through the area. They alleged that even as armed miscreants descended from the hills, continuing to kill people in the peripheral areas of the valley, the central government and the state government remained mute and did nothing to control them.
A leader of the protesters asked why the ministers and MLAs, including the chief minister, remained silent while the people were at the limit of their miseries. She demanded that the Centre and the state government must act against the ‘narco-terrorists’ from attacking civilians in the peripheral areas.
The JAC against the killing of Takhellambam Manoranjan Singh enforced the 48-hour statewide bandh from 5 am on Saturday until 5 am on Monday.
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Takhellambam Manoranjan, a resident of Thiyam Konjin of Thoubal district, was killed by armed miscreants at Kangchup hill located at Imphal West-Kangpokpi inter-district border in the wee hours of January 18.
The JAC called the bandh after the state government failed to give a positive response to a memorandum containing certain demands recently submitted to the chief minister while serving a 24-hour ultimatum to fulfill the demands.
In the memorandum recently submitted to the chief minister, the JAC demanded the chief minister to take over the chairmanship of the Unified Command and scrap the tripartite suspension of the operation (SoO) pact with the Kuki-based militant groups.
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It further demanded that the Central government must end its “divide and rule policy” in Manipur and implement the National Register of Citizens (NRC) immediately.
It further demanded that the Central government must end its “divide and rule policy” in Manipur and implement the National Register of Citizens (NRC) immediately.