India
Manipur in turmoil again: Shutdown paralyzes Imphal amid rising violence and kidnappings | India News – Times of India
Violence in Manipur continues.
Businesses, schools and transport services in all five districts of the Imphal Valley were closed and government offices saw minimal attendance. Organizers of the closure include the International Peace and Social Advancement (IPSA), All Clubs Organizations Association and Meira Paibi Lup (ACOAM Lup), Indigeneous People’s Association of Kangleipak (IPAK) and Kangleipak Students’ Association (KSA) .
Unrest in Jibran: trucks set on fire
Although no major incidents were reported in Imphal Valley, violence continued elsewhere. Two trucks carrying goods were set on fire near Old Kaiphundai in Tamenglong District, near Jiribam.
Suspected hillock militants stopped the trucks along NH 37 by firing several bullets in the air and then set the trucks on fire, an official said. The Rongmei Naga Students Organization, Manipur blamed Kuki militants for the incident.
The trucks were transporting rice, onions and potatoes to Noney and Tamenglong districts, the student body claimed in a statement.
Center rushes 2,500 CAPF personnel
The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has deployed 2,500 additional central paramilitary personnel to Manipur in response to the escalating violence. This deployment takes the total number of Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) in the state to 218 companies, with over 29,000 personnel.
Fifteen companies of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) will be repositioned from Assam, while another five companies of the Border Security Force (BSF) will be transferred from Tripura.
These forces will join the existing security apparatus, which also includes the army and the Assam Rifles, to maintain law and order in the region.
13 fatalities since November 7
The incident follows a fierce exchange of fire on Monday between security forces and suspected militants in Jiribam district, which remains a place of unrest following a series of violent incidents that began in June.
Last Monday, 10 ‘armed militants’ were reportedly killed during a counter-offensive by the CRPF and police. The operation followed an attack on two security posts. Two bodies were discovered Tuesday near the scene of the gunfight. The deceased, both elderly residents of a displaced persons shelter, were found with gunshot wounds and burns respectively.
Violence also broke out in Bishnupur on November 8, where a woman harvesting rice was shot and killed, allegedly by tribal militants. In response to the ongoing violence, the Kuki Students’ Organization has announced ‘not to cooperate’ with the CRPF. They are demanding that all personnel remain in their camps until an apology is issued for the killing of individuals they claim were village volunteers but labeled as militants by the armed forces.
‘Facial part missing’: Mother of three was brutally tortured before being set on fire
A 31-year-old mother of three was found dead in her village home in Jiribam on November 7. The woman, a tribal resident of Zairawn village, was found with burns on her body.
The autopsy report noted signs of torture, including nail marks and burns indicating that they were inflicted before death. The report revealed severe burns covering 99% of the body, even leaving bone fragments charred. The deceased also had a ‘wound on the back of the right thigh’ and a ‘metal nail embedded in the medial aspect of the left thigh’.
Meanwhile, photos of the six kidnapped persons have been circulating on social media, but police have not confirmed their authenticity. Rescue operations are underway.
The state Congress unit demanded the immediate release of the women and children and called for the central government’s intervention.
“The situation in the state has deteriorated in recent days and nothing is predictable. The rescue or release of the imprisoned women and children on humanitarian grounds would be the most desirable and just decision,” said CLP leader Okram Ibobi Singh. He criticized the state government for failing to protect its citizens and called for a ceasefire and dialogue between warring communities.
Manipur has been experiencing ongoing ethnic violence since May last year, resulting in more than 200 deaths and widespread displacement. Conflicts between the Meitei community and Kuki-Zo groups have recently spread to the previously peaceful Jiribam district.
