IMPHAL: The 48-hour shutdown, called by Meitei community body, the Coordinating Committee on Manipur Integrity (COCOMI), in protest against the removal of the state’s name from a government bus on May 20, crippled normal life in five to six districts of Manipur’s Valley region for the second day on Friday.
All markets, shops, business establishments, government and non-government offices, educational and financial institutions, including banks, remained closed, and most vehicles, except those of security forces and emergency services, went off the roads.
Roadside vegetable vendors had set up their stalls at different places in Imphal East district earlier on Friday, but later left after the bandh supporters told them to close their stalls.
As per the COCOMI, the shutdown started on Wednesday midnight and it would end on Friday midnight. The bandh, however, had almost no effect in Kuki-Zo-Hmar and Naga-dominated hill areas.
The COCOMI supporters, mostly women, stopped vehicles of security forces in different parts of Bishnupur and Thoubal districts and pasted printed paper inscribed “Manipur/Kangleipak” on the windshields of those vehicles.
Kangleipak is the Meitei language’s ancient name for the state of Manipur. On Thursday night, the COCOMI activists and supporters staged a torch rally for two kilometres in Imphal and raised slogans stating “Manipur cannot be obliterated”. Police officials said that so far, there has been no major incident in connection with the bandh after it began on Wednesday midnight.
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