A five-day shutdown, which began on Sunday in Manipur, has paralysed normal life across the valley districts. It was called by civil society groups against the killing of two minors in a recent bomb attack in Tronglaobi on April 7, even as state Home Minister Govindas Konthoujam appealed to them to withdraw the agitation, warning that it may adversely affect daily life across the state.
The two children were killed in a reported rocket attack by suspected militants, while their mother sustained serious injuries. The shutdown, called by various sections of society including a Joint Action Committee (JAC) formed in connection with the Tronglaobi incident, began on Sunday amid escalating demands for justice.
Addressing the media at the Chief Minister’s Secretariat, Konthoujam said the state government had held three rounds of discussions with the JAC and the victim’s family. He said consensus had been reached on most of the charter of demands, with only a few issues remaining unresolved.
According to the minister, during a meeting held on April 17, the government vowed to take a series of measures, including a military crackdown within two months, replacement of central forces deployed in the Tronglaobi area of Bishnupur district with state forces within two months, and similar redeployment in P Gelmol within one week.
Additional security forces will be deployed in Manipur after the conclusion of the West Bengal Assembly elections, Konthoujam told mediapersons.tThe state government also urged protesters to withdraw agitations, lift road blockades and accept the bodies of the deceased, which are currently in the morgue, to perform last rites.
Konthoujam further said the government had offered a job to Oinam Mangalngamba, father of the two deceased children, commensurate with his current position in the BSF. A job offer has also been extended to his wife.
He said efforts were underway to apprehend all those involved in the attack, adding that five suspected individuals linked to the United Kuki National Army had been arrested so far and the investigation was ongoing.
Appealing for restraint, the minister said the shutdown would impact all sections of society and urged the JAC and allied groups to reconsider their decision.
The five-day shutdown is being enforced across Manipur from April 19, with women’s groups and civil society organisations intensifying their demand for swift action. Protesters have demanded that all perpetrators be arrested by April 25 and have warned of intensified agitation if their demands are not met.
Key demands include the arrest of all those involved in the attack, a crackdown on suspected Kuki militants, replacement of central forces with state forces in peripheral areas and a judicial inquiry into the role of specific security units. The JAC has alleged negligence by personnel of the 8 Battalion of the Central Reserve Police Force stationed at P Gelmol and the 2nd Battalion of the Jammu and Kashmir Light Infantry deployed at Tronglaobi.
Meanwhile, a late-night torch rally in Sagolband, Imphal West, escalated into a confrontation on April 18, with security forces using tear gas to disperse protesters demanding accountability over the killings.
At the same time, tension escalated further after two civilians, including a former Army man, were killed in an ambush along the National Highway 202, allegedly by suspected Kuki militants. The incident also took place on April 18.
The attack drew sharp condemnation from the Tangkhul Naga Long (TNL), which warned of a strong response.
Addressing the media at a district hospital in Ukhrul on Saturday, TNL president Sword Vashum said the deaths of the two civilians would not be in vain and indicated that the organisation would respond. He described the incident as a “brutal and cold-blooded” attack on unarmed civilians.
Vashum announced that an emergency assembly of the Tangkhul Long would be convened shortly to determine the next course of action, adding that the community would collectively decide how to respond to what he termed a targeted attack on Tangkhul people.
