Sec 144 imposed in Manipur district amid protest over new bill

The administration in Manipur's Jiribam district today imposed prohibitory order in the region under section 144 of CrPc, in the wake of protests against a bill that seeks to "protect the identity of indigenous people" of the state, an official said.

The restrictions in the district, forbidding assembly of four or more people at one place, will continue till further orders, he said.

The Manipur People's Protection Bill 2018, passed unanimously by the Legislative Assembly on July 23, aims to grant the status of "natives" to Meitis, Pangal Muslims, scheduled tribes and others who moved to the state before 1951.

The rest, categorised as "Non-Manipuris", will have to register themselves within one month of the notification of the law.

The prohibitory orders in Jiribam, bordering Cachar in Assam, came two days after a large number of people staged a rally in the district to denounce the state's decision to fix base year at 1951.

The Bill is currently waiting for Governor Najma Heptullah's assent.

Terming the Bill as "unconstitutional", Md. Ahmed Ali, a spokesperson of 'Joint Action Committee Against Base Year 1951', said it would deprive many people of their rights.

"The committee will intensify its agitation if we do not receive the rights guaranteed to us under the Constitution," he claimed.

A district official said Jiribam has witnessed a change in demography in the past two years due to influx of illegal immigrants, including Bangladeshis and Rohingyas.