Manipur Manipur conflict
Normal life paralyzed in Manipur as indefinite shutdown continues

Guwahati: Normal life in Manipur’s Churachandpur and Kangpokpi districts continued to be paralyzed for the second day on Tuesday as the women’s wing of Indigenous Tribals’ Leaders Forum (ITLF) and Committee on Tribal Unity (COTU) enforced the indefinite shutdown in their respective districts.

The civil bodies protested against what they termed as the “arbitrary arrest” of four persons and detention of two minors over the alleged kidnapping and killing of two students from Imphal and another individual on the charges of a “transnational conspiracy” case.

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Members of the ITLF women’s wing made sure that all the streets in Churachandpur wore a deserted look as well as all shutters of the shops and other establishments were shut. Marketplaces witnessed no activities and government offices saw zero attendance. Even banks and educational institutions remained closed.

Rebecca, an ITLF women’s wing activist, who was enforcing the shutdown manning the streets of Churachandpur, justified the shutdown and alleged discrimination between the communities.

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“While several cases of rape and killing of the tribal communities are not looked into, including the sexual assault on the two tribal women and the burning alive of the mother and son in an ambulance, the case of the two missing and alleged killing of two students were swiftly investigated by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) who even “abducted” six persons including two minors,” Rebecca said.

She questioned the partiality and asked what kind of justice is this. Condemning the arrest of the six persons by CBI, she appealed for their release without any condition.

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Rebecca further urged the CBI not to act in haste but to act professionally and arrest those who are responsible for all crimes committed during the conflict not based on the community line or religion. She added that they will keep demanding justice in all the cases of crime against the tribal people.

Meanwhile, the ITLF reportedly called off its indefinite shutdown stir and resolved to impose a similar stir once a week on Wednesday till its demands are complied with by the government.