IMPHAL, Nov 27: The Coordinating Committee on Manipur Integrity (COCOMI) launched a two day shut down of government offices across Manipur on Wednesday. Led by the students’ wing, COCOMI closed several key government offices, including the Secretariat, in a protest against both the state and central governments for failing to address their demands.

The protest was triggered by the government’s inaction on key issues, including the extension of the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act (AFSPA) and a crackdown on Kuki militants. The students’ wing of COCOMI vacated staff and locked the premises, following through on their previous announcement.

Thokchom Dhanachandra, Convenor of the students’ wing, stated that the shutdown was aimed at highlighting the government’s failure to act. “Opening government offices despite announcing to the public is very unfortunate,” he remarked, expressing disappointment that some offices continued to operate despite the announced shutdown.

The shutdown, which is part of a two-day strike, affected several government offices, including the District Collectorate in Imphal West, the district transport office, and departments such as Forest, Horticulture, and Environment. The government offices were locked and staff vacated the premises, following the committee’s call for the shutdown.

The students’ wing of COCOMI had issued a seven-day ultimatum to the state government to address their demands, which ended on Tuesday. Their demands included action on the extension of AFSPA, a crackdown on Kuki militants, and other measures to restore peace in the region. The ultimatum also highlighted their call for the removal of AFSPA from certain areas and the designation of involved militant organizations as terrorist groups.

Earlier on Tuesday, Chief Minister N. Biren Singh had urged COCOMI and other civil society organizations to avoid protests and violence. He pointed out that the central government had made progress in addressing these issues, citing the re-registration of cases related to violence in Jiribam. Singh mentioned that the National Investigation Agency (NIA) had re-registered cases related to the killing of six hostages, including an infant, allegedly abducted by Kuki militants. Additionally, he assured that the government was prepared to support the public in pursuing their remaining demands.

Despite these assurances, the students’ wing of COCOMI pressed ahead with the shutdown, expressing frustration with the government’s failure to take decisive action.