IMPHAL, Nov 16: Widespread protests erupted across the Imphal Valley on Saturday following the recovery of six bodies suspected to be of individuals who went missing from Jiribam district on November 7. The deceased, reportedly belonging to the same family, included three women and three children, with the youngest being an eight-month-old infant and another a two-and-a-half-month-old baby.
The bodies were recovered from a river near the confluence of the Jiri and Barak rivers along the Manipur-Assam border. Three were discovered on Friday and the remaining three on Saturday. The missing individuals had reportedly been abducted during a gunfight between militants, CRPF personnel, and Manipur police in Jiribam. At the time, they were residing in a relief camp meant for displaced Meitei persons.
Angered by the state government’s alleged failure to rescue the abducted family, protesters, mostly women, took to the streets in areas like Kwakeithel and Sagolband Tera in Imphal West district. Demonstrators burned tyres and blocked roads, disrupting traffic and demanding swift action against the alleged perpetrators, identified as Kuki insurgents. Businesses and markets shut down across the region as tensions escalated. Protesters also targeted the homes of some local MLAs.
At Khwairamband Market, the state’s primary commercial hub, women vendors staged a rally amidst heavy deployment of security forces. Similar protests were reported in Ningthoukhong in Bishnupur district and Lamlong in Imphal East district.
In response, the Manipur government imposed a curfew across the districts of the Imphal Valley starting from 4:30 PM on Saturday, which will remain in effect until further notice. This decision comes amid concerns over the deteriorating law and order situation in the region. Essential services, including health, electricity, food distribution, water supply, petrol pumps, municipal functions, media, judiciary, and travel to and from the airport, have been exempted from the restrictions.
The state government also suspended internet services in the districts of Imphal West, Imphal East, Bishnupur, Thoubal, Kakching, Kangpokpi, and Churachandpur. The internet ban, effective from 5:15 PM on November 16, will last for two days, with exemptions provided for certain government offices and services on lease lines or FTTH connections approved by the state.
The unrest further underscores the fragile situation in Manipur, which has been grappling with ethnic violence between Meitei and Kuki-Zo communities since May 2023. The conflict has claimed over 200 lives and displaced thousands. With tensions at a boiling point, authorities have appealed for calm while promising stringent action to address the grievances of the protesters.
