Imphal: To return to normalcy, curfew was relaxed in four districts of Manipur's Imphal valley on Wednesday with reports of no major incidents at any place. Officials also announced the restoration of broadband internet services, suspended for three days.
The curfew, which had been imposed for an indefinite period on November 16 in the wake of widespread violence, was relaxed in Imphal East, Imphal West, Thoubal, and Kakching districts. Residents could step out between 5 a.m. and 10 a.m. to procure essentials and attend to urgent matters. District magistrates issued individual orders to enforce relaxation in these areas.
There are reports of six bodies of members belonging to the Meitei community, three children and three women, who Kuki militants reportedly kidnaped from a relief camp in Jiribam district's Borobekra sub-division on 11 November.
The incident has upped tensions in the state, as different civil society organizations organized protests in Imphal West against the re-enactment of the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act (AFSPA) in specified areas of five districts.
In separate developments, the Manipur Home Department conditionally lifted the suspension on broadband internet services, saying the hardships are being faced not only by students and professionals but healthcare institutes, as well as the common people. Mobile internet, however, and data services remain suspended, as per an order issued by Commissioner (Home) N. Ashok Kumar.
Amid these developments, a meeting of 26 NDA MLAs led by the BJP was held on Monday night. The MLAs passed resolutions urging the central government to launch a "mass operation" within seven days against Kuki militants involved in the killings.
They also demanded banning the militants and transferring three high-profile cases to the NIA, including the murder of six Meitei women and children in Jiribam, the burning alive of a Hmar tribal woman on November 7, and an attempt to murder a Meitei woman farmer on November 9 in Bishnupur's Saigon.
However, the state's top Meitei group Coordinating Committee on Manipur Integrity (COCOMI) was not happy with the resolutions passed by the NDA MLAs. The group handed out a 24-hour ultimatum for a reassessment of the decisions and vowed to intensify the agitation if their issues were not met.
Restoration of peace and stability continues with more frenzied ruckus and public discontent in the state that is already reeling in all these challenges.
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