A bandh called against the killing of a 45-year-old Kuki man the day before paralysed Kangpokpi district on Wednesday amid a spike in ethnic violence in Manipur. It coincided with the second and last day of a shutdown in Imphal Valley against the killing of three Meiteis in an ambush in Imphal East on Monday.
Meanwhile, a protest against the killings in Imphal turned violent on Wednesday, with protesters attempting to storm the Khuman Lampak Indoor Stadium in Imphal West, where chief minister Yumnam Khemchand Singh and home minister Govindas Konthoujam were attending the inaugural function of the first Manipur State Poomsae Taekwondo Championship, with delegates from South Korea also present, officials said.
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Protestors press demands
The protesters demanded that the CM and home minister address the prevailing law and order situation instead of attending a sports event while civilians were being killed. Security forces fired several rounds of tear gas shells to disperse the mob, injuring at least three protesters. The injured were taken to a nearby hospital, officials said.
Later, protesters gathered at Khurai Lamlong in Imphal East and made another attempt to press their demands. Police used several rounds of tear gas shells, smoke grenades and stun bombs to disperse them. Two people sustained injuries, including a woman reportedly hit by a stun grenade on her right foot, said police. The injured were taken to a nearby hospital, and tension remained in the area, officers requesting anonymity said.
Militants ambushed 14 Meitei men collecting firewood in the Sunurok hills of Kangpokpi district on October 19, killing three of them. The families of the victims alleged that the attackers belonged to the Kuki community.
Additional director general of police Lhari Dorjee Lhatoo said three people had been arrested in connection with the ambush. Two of them admitted to being part of the group that killed the three men, he said. “The role of the third arrested man in this heinous crime is being probed, and the investigation is on to identify the others who are involved in the case.”
The Joint Action Committee (JAC), formed after the killings, said the bodies would not be accepted until the government booked all those involved. It announced a one-day cease-work protest on Thursday, with sit-ins at respective locations, and appealed to schools, colleges and other institutions to support the protest.
Burnt effigies, dead bodies
On Monday, protesters had left two bodies at the main gate of the chief minister’s residence to protest the failure to protect civilians. Security forces fired tear gas shells after the mob breached security and parked a truck carrying the bodies outside the residence.
Normal life remained affected across the five Imphal Valley districts during a 48-hour shutdown called by the Native Peoples Committee Manipur against the killings. Markets remained closed, public transport stayed off the roads and educational institutions were shut.
Protesters also burnt effigies of Rajya Sabha MP A Sharda Devi and Konthoujam at Khabeisoi in Imphal East.
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Meira Paibi activists later gathered at Devi’s residence in Brahmapur to question her “silence” on the killings. They left after she assured them through a video call that their demands would be conveyed to the government.
Meanwhile, around 15 abandoned houses were set ablaze at Khoikai village in Kamjong district on Wednesday. The village has been deserted since April following Naga-Kuki clashes.