Normal life in the valley areas of Manipur was hit on Thursday owing to the rebel sponsored anti-merger shutdown.
Shops and other businesses establishments remained closed, both public and private transport stayed off the roads during the bandh that ended this evening at 6 pm.
Oil pumps remained closed for the day. government offices, banks and post offices functioned normally but with thin staff attendance.
No untoward incident related to the shutdown was reported from any part of the state even as police and state armed security personnel were seen in sensitive areas across the state capital and its outskirts as a precautionary measure to maintain law and order.
Reports from other major towns in the valley areas said life was affected because of the strike.
However, except non-arrival of commercial vehicles including passenger service ones, the shutdown has no impact in the hill districts of the state, reports culled out from the district headquarters said.
Co-ordination Committee (CorCom), the conglomerate of five major rebel groups struggling for “regaining of Manipur’s sovereignty called the total shutdown against the forced merger of Manipur to Indian Union”.
The rebel groups have been observing the day as “Leibaki Amamba Numit (National Black Day)” every year as a mark of protest against the merger of Manipur to Indian Union.
They alleged that the merger of Manipur to India on October 15, 1949 was an invalid one saying that the then king of Manipur Maharaja Budhachandra was forced to sign at gunpoint after calling him to Shillong in Meghalaya.
Some other rebel groups including Alliance for Socialist Unity, Kangleipak (ASUK), another conglomerate of some rebel groups led by KYKL, also imposed a 12-hour general strike against the merger of Manipur to Indian Union.
NNN
