ATSUM calls 24-hr districts bandh from March 12 midnight, meeting with CM fails to hammer out consensus

The All Tribal Student Union, Manipur (ATSUM) has decided to go ahead with its proposed 24-hour bandh under its jurisdiction from the midnight of March 12. As such, there will be a bandh in the hill districts of Manipur on Saturday.

Earlier on March 11, the ATSUM leaders had a meeting with the Chief Minister of Manipur on the invitation of the latter in Imphal on the demand of the apex tribal student body of Manipur. “After a threadbare discussion on matters pertaining to impending Autonomous District Council (ADC) elections, no concrete decision was arrived,” said the ATSUM on Friday.

Also Read: Irked with State Govt’s repeated failure to announce ADC Poll, ATSUM calls for 24 hrs State Bandh from March 12 midnight

The tribal student has been demanding the holding of polls to the ADCs.

It can be noted here that the extended terms of the six ADCs covering the entire hill districts of the state had expired on November 30, 2020. With the expiry of the terms, the state government superseded the ADCs.

Citing COVID-19 pandemic as one of the main factors, the state government deferred the due elections to the six ADCs and also urban local bodies in the state.

Also read: ATSUM ultimatum to Manipur govt till Nov 4 to hold ADC election

However, the state government assured holding the elections at the earliest possible time when some tribal bodies, particularly the ATSUM, had threatened to launch agitations against delay in conducting the elections.

Alleging that after three months since the superseding of the ADCs, the ATSUM once again came up with a new deadline demanding the holding of the  ADC elections.

NNN