A 48-hour shutdown over the killing of a young man is underway in Manipur, with protesters blocking a National Highway in Thoubal district to demand the arrest of everyone involved in the killing, which happened during clashes between two communities.
The shutdown, called by a joint action committee (JAC) over the death of Laishram Rakesh, began across Manipur at 5 am on Friday. Rakesh died after being shot during the clashes on October 18. Meanwhile, police arrested a third accused in connection with the violence and recovered a double-barrel gun and 14 rounds of shotgun ammunition during a search operation.
Protesters gathered along the Imphal-Moreh road early Friday and blocked traffic. Tyres were also burnt at several locations as demonstrators pressed for action against those responsible for the killing.
Vehicle movement remained restricted during the shutdown, with exemptions for medical services, the media and religious activities. Thoubal district police remained on alert to prevent any untoward incidents. Police said the shutdown continued peacefully, with no incidents reported.
Police officials said the third accused, Aribam Sherkhan, was arrested in connection with the violence on Sunday. Two other accused, Khursid Ahamad and Abdul Rahaman, were arrested on Tuesday during a joint search operation conducted by local police and security forces.
Separately, police teams conducted a search operation in the Khangabok-Sangaiyumpham area on Friday and seized a double-barrel breech-loading (DBBL) gun along with 14 rounds of 12-gauge shotgun ammunition.
The action committee submitted a memorandum to Chief Minister Yumnam Khemchand Singh on Thursday, demanding the arrest of those responsible for Rakesh's killing.
The committee had been organising daily sit-in protests since the incident but remained dissatisfied with the progress of the investigation and the failure to bring all those responsible to justice.
WHAT HAPPENED ON OCTOBER 18
The violence erupted on the night of October 18 after a group of people allegedly began throwing stones at a ground in Khangabok village, where a concert was underway, police said. Khangabok is located around 25 km south of state capital Imphal.
The incident escalated into stone-pelting between members of two communities. A few houses and vehicles were also set on fire during the clashes.
Amid the violence, unidentified miscreants opened fire, hitting Rakesh in the head. He was taken to a nearby hospital but succumbed to his injuries, police said.
Several other people sustained minor cut injuries after being hit by stones and were admitted to hospital.
Following the clashes, district authorities imposed prohibitory orders in the two affected areas, restricting people from leaving their residences amid concerns over further violence and damage to property.
Additional state and central security forces were deployed in the two villages following the clashes. Police said the situation was under control on Monday morning.
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