Curfews, web curbs in Manipur amid clashes

Internet services were on Tuesday snapped in five districts of Manipur and strict prohibitory orders were imposed in three districts as protesters as security forces clashed across the strife-torn state, where violence has ratcheted up and shattered the fragile calm over the past 10 days.

Data services, including cellular and broadband, will be cut off in five districts till Saturday, the state home department said in an order, even as the administrations of Imphal East, Imphal West and Thoubal imposed indefinite curfews after agitations in the districts turned violent.

The law-and-order downturn also prompted the state government to order schools and colleges to stay shut till Thursday.

Thousands of students took part in agitations throughout Manipur, with much of the protests focussed in the capital Imphal, where 40 people were injured when they faced-off with security forces while marching towards Raj Bhavan, demanding the dismissal of the director general of police and security adviser over the recent spate of drone and missile attacks.

Police officers pinned the violence on misinformation, and said the protesters pelted them with stones and marble balls, forcing them to fire tear gas and charge the crowds. Protesters, however, said they threw stones because police “injured peaceful protesters” and stopped them from meeting the governor.

“Some miscreants on social media circulated fake news that a woman protester died in firing during the protest… The violence was also exacerbated by another piece of fake news that a student was killed. We later came to know that a protester, possibly a student, fell off the flyover. He was injured,” said an officer of the Rapid Action Force (RAF).

Clashes in the conflict-ridden state have dialled up significantly this month, with militants turning to modern weaponry like drones and rockets, adding a fresh layer of violence to the ongoing use of rifles and grenades.

Ten people have died since September 1, of whom one was killed in a drone attack and another by a rocket. A former army soldier was also stabbed and beaten to death.

The Centre has formed a committee of top officers from the police, army and paramilitary forces to examine the use of explosive-bearing drones. The committee is now preparing a report that it will submit by September 13.

However, protesters have since then made a string of demands, arguing that the security apparatus positioned in the state has failed to placate tensions and weed out militants. Several people, including the Bharatiya Janata Party chief minister N Biren Singh, have demanded that the unified command, a group of 12 senior security officials, be disbanded and the state’s security be handed back to the local administration.

The unified command, from various government agencies, was formally formed on May 31, 2023 to restore normalcy in the state, formulate counter-insurgency strategies, maintain law and order, and ensure the safety of communities in Manipur, where Kuki groups have accused the state police of siding with the Meiteis. Retired Indian Police Services (IP) officer Kuldiep Singh, appointed by the Centre, heads the unified command.

On Tuesday, thousands of students in uniform thronged streets across the besieged state, calling for an end to violence. Protesters said they were not affiliated with a political group and were leaderless.

“Students are fed up with the government’s handling of the situation. Our college is shut but we still came in our uniforms because we want everyone to see how the government has failed in Manipur. We want action by the Centre and the state government on the ground,” said one protester in Imphal.

However, as agitators tried to march from various parts of Imphal towards the governor’s official residence, security forces near the iconic Kangla Fort fired teargas shells to stop them in their tracks.

Between 2pm and 6pm, at the road connecting Ima Market with the Kangla Fort, around 100m away from Raj Bhavan, forces repeatedly lobbed teargas shells to stop protesters from moving ahead.

A student from a prominent engineering college said, “Look at the bruises on my hand. Police are firing at us. My friend fell off the flyover because police were firing at us. Why are they attacking students? All students wanted is to go to the Raj Bhavan and seek answers.”

Ethnic violence has crippled the state of around 2.85 million for 16 months now, with 235 people killed, thousands injured and hundreds of thousands displaced in that time. What began as an ethnic conflict between the majority Meiteis and the tribal Kukis has grown into seemingly irreconcilable cleavages within Manipuri society. People from the majority Meitei community, which dominates regions in and around the Imphal valley, have accused the tribal Kukis, who dot the hills, of being behind the surge in violence.

“Kuki militants are dropping bombs from the hills and the sky using drones. Meiteis are no longer safe. This government has failed to protect us. These protests will continue until the government arrests the people who dropped bombs and rockets on our people,” one protester said on Tuesday.

Kuki Inpi Manipur, an apex body of Kukis in the state, in a statement on Tuesday dismissed Manipur police’s statements that drones were used to drop explosives. “Contrary to the assertions, the Kukis have not employed drone bombs at any time. In fact it was the Meiteis who first deployed drone bombs during their attack on T Lailopjhai village on February 20, 2024.”

Manipur governor Lakshman Prasad Acharya made an appeal for calm amid the violence.

“It has been seen that the state for the last few months has been in turmoil...Peace and people’s cooperation are the only means which bring societal development,” said a statement issued by Raj Bhavan.

“Some unpleasant incidents gave a severe jolt to the dedicated efforts of the central and state governments towards restoring peace and normalcy in the state,” adding that “violence is not the solution to any problem, everyone will have to contribute and find ways to overcome this problem”.

The Manipur Police also held a press conference in Imphal on Tuesday urging students and other protesters not to indulge in violent protests. They warned of action against misleading and false information being spread on social media by some “vested interests”.

Around 6pm, 10 students accompanied by social activist Rohan Philem were allowed inside Raj Bhavan. Though the Raj Bhavan is yet to issue a statement, Philem said the group had submitted a memorandum representing all students involved in Tuesday’s protest.

“The governor’s response was positive, but he said it will take some time to incorporate the changes. Among the six demands we made were handing unified command to the CM, removal of the DGP and security advisor, removal of Assam Rifles and calling all 50 MLAs, barring the 10 Kukis ones, to the House and understanding their views on the crisis in Manipur. All students have agreed to continue the strike,” said Philem.