Imphal, Oct 15: A shutdown to mark October 15 as “Black Day” brought commercial activity in Manipur’s capital to a near standstill on Thursday, with major markets shuttered, public transport off the roads and schools, colleges and offices remaining closed.
Lamlong Bazar, Kongba Bazar, Singjamei Bazar and Kwakeithel Bazar remained shut, along with all three Ima Keithels, the traditional women-run markets in Imphal.
Major commercial centres, including Thangal Bazar, Paona Bazar, Masjid Road, Alu Gali, Dharamsala, MG Avenue and BT Road, also witnessed a complete shutdown of business establishments.
No public transport was seen operating, while inter-district transport remained suspended, restricting movement between districts. Some private vehicles, however, continued to ply.
Despite the widespread shutdown, there were no significant visible physical obstructions to movement.
The impact was felt primarily through closed businesses and institutions and the limited presence of people on the streets, with normal commercial and public activity largely suspended.
The shutdown was called to mark “Black Day” by groups opposing Manipur’s merger with India in 1949. The Kangleipak Communist Party (KCP) Apunba announced a 12-hour bandh from 6 am to 6 pm.
In a statement issued by its publicity secretary, Punsirol Meitei, KCP Apunba claimed that Manipur’s sovereignty had been taken away following the signing of the Merger Agreement on September 21, 1949, and the declaration of the merger on October 15 that year.
The outfit urged people to support the shutdown as part of what it described as a movement to restore Manipur’s sovereignty and assert the right to self-determination.
KCP Apunba exempted news media, water supply, fire services, medical emergencies, essential services and activities related to religious and customary practices from the shutdown.
Meanwhile, the severed head of a Naga man killed in a gun attack in Kangpokpi district was recovered on Wednesday, officials said, following a 48-hour ultimatum issued by the Joint Tribes Council Manipur (JTCM).
The head of Ajinbou Ringkamai was recovered from an isolated area near the site of the October 10 attack at Makui Ashang village by a joint team of the Central Reserve Police Force and Manipur Police.
His torso had been recovered the following day and taken to the mortuary of the Jawaharlal Nehru Institute of Medical Sciences (JNIMS) in Imphal. The recovered head was also deposited at the institute.
The JTCM had demanded that the location of the severed head be disclosed and that it be returned to the family for a dignified burial.
A purported video showing the severed head amid heavily armed men wearing camouflage uniforms went viral on Saturday, raising concerns over the killing and the whereabouts of the victim’s remains.
Further details regarding the post-mortem examination and the handover of the remains to the family were not immediately available.
Ringkamai was among those killed in a spate of violence reported across the hill districts of Kamjong, Ukhrul and Kangpokpi on October 9 and 10, amid escalating clashes involving Naga and Kuki armed groups.