ONE protester dead
Imphal/New Delhi : Defying curfew orders, a Meitei group on Monday took to the streets and locked several government offices in Imphal's west district to protest the recent killings in Jiribam even as the Centre decided to rush about 5,000 paramilitary troops to tackle the "volatile" situation in restive Manipur after Union Home Minister Amit Shah's review meeting in New Delhi. Chief Minister N Biren Singh also convened an emergency meeting with ministers and MLAs of the ruling NDA to review the law and order situation, a day after the National People's Party (NPP) withdrew its support from the BJP-led government, further complicating the political landscape.
Meanwhile, a protester was killed in firing during a clash between security forces and a mob that was vandalising properties at Babupara in Jiribam district, police said on Monday. The deceased has been identified as K Athouba, who was in his twenties, a police officer said. In New Delhi, Union Home Minister Shah reviewed the prevailing security situation and deployment of troops in Manipur for the second consecutive day and directed top officials to focus on restoring peace and order there as early as possible, sources said. Members of the Coordinating Committee on Manipur Integrity (COCOMI), a powerful Meitei community organization, stormed the office complex of the Chief Electoral Officer at Lamphelpat, chaining its doors and locking it in protest. The main office doors of the Institute of Bioresources and Sustainable Development (IBSD) at Takyel, and the Directorate of Economics and Statistics located a few hundred metres from the CEO's office were also locked by the protesters. In response, Ningthoujam Geoffrey, Secretary to the Chief Minister, urged COCOMI to avoid violent protests and engage in peaceful deliberations.
The organisation had earlier announced that it would close all government offices in protest against what it described as the Centre's "failure" to protect citizens from militant attacks. Confirming that one person was killed in firing on Sunday night, police, however, said it was not immediately clear who opened fire, while eyewitnesses claimed the firing came from the direction of the security forces.
Offices of the Congress and BJP, and a house belonging to Jiribam's Independent MLA, were ransacked by a group of agitators the same night. Also on Monday, sources said the post-mortem examination of five bodies of the six missing people of Jiribam district has been completed at a state-run hospital in Assam's Silchar town and added that a decomposed body of a woman was found floating in the Barak river in Cachar district.
The bodies of the six persons, who went missing from Jiribam after a gunfight between security forces and suspected Kuki-Zo militants that resulted in the deaths of 10 insurgents on November 11, were found in Jiri river in Jiribam and Barak river in Assam's Cachar over the last few days.
"The post-mortem examination of all the five bodies has been done in SMCH. The doctors concerned are in the process of preparing the report," a source said. A senior official from Assam Police Headquarters said the body of a woman was found floating in the Barak river at Singerbond area of Lakhipur Police Station by locals and police. "It (body) is believed to be the last of the six missing people. Manipur Police can confirm it after verifying her identity. The remains have been sent to SMCH for post-mortem," he added.
Meanwhile, K Rishikanta, vice president of BJP Manipur Pradesh SC Morcha, tendered his resignation, citing personal reasons. On November 15, office-bearers and executive members of BJP's Jiribam mandal had also tendered their resignations to the state president citing an "unwelcome/helpless situation in Jiribam and Manipur as a whole".
During the day, an uneasy calm prevailed in Imphal Valley, where curfew remained enforced and internet services suspended after agitators vandalised and set ablaze properties belonging to several ministers and legislators. Markets and business establishments, barring pharmacies, remained closed, while public transport was off the roads but a few private vehicles were seen on the roads. Manipur's JD(U) MLA Abdul Nasir wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, urging the Centre to declare those responsible for the killing of women and children in the Jiribam district as "terrorists".
The state administration also extended the suspension of internet and mobile data services in the Imphal Valley and two other districts - Kangpokpi and Churachandpur - after reviewing the law and order for two more days till November 20, according to an order.