Page 14 - Manipur Govt

Manipur govt terms ITLF's demand for 'self-ruled administration' illegal

The Manipur government has strongly condemned the Indigenous Tribal Leaders Forum's (ITLF) call for "self-governed separate administration" in districts dominated by members of the Kuki-Zo community and termed it as illegal. State government spokesperson and Education Minister Th Basantakumar Singh told reporters on Thursday night that "the irresponsible statements appear to be motivated and aimed at vitiating and disturbing the law and order situation in the state." "Meeting of the ruling party legislators held on Thursday strongly condemned the statement and appropriate legal actions is being initiated against ITLF and persons concerned," the minister said. ITLF, a frontal organisation of Kuki-Zo tribes in Manipur, had on Wednesday threatened to establish a "self-governed separate administration" in areas where these tribes have a majority. The forum said even after more than six months of ethnic strife in the northeastern state, the central government is yet to accept their dema

Mobile internet ban extended till Nov 13 in Manipur barring few areas

The Manipur government on Thursday extended mobile internet ban across the state by five more days till November 13, officials said. The ban, however, will not be enforced in the four hill district headquarters which have not been affected by ethnic strife, officials added. The state government said the decision to extend the ban was taken "as there is apprehension that anti-social elements might use social media extensively for transmission of images, hate speeches and video messages inciting the passions of the public which might have serious repercussions for the law and order situation in the state." A home department order said, "There is imminent danger of loss of life and/or damage to public private property and widespread disturbances to public tranquility and communal harmony, as a result of inflammatory material and rumours, which might be transmitted/circulated to the public through social media." "To thwart the designs of anti-national and anti-social elements and to ..

Manipur HC asks state to lift mobile internet ban in peaceful areas

The Manipur High Court has directed the state government to operationalise mobile towers, on a trial basis, in all those district headquarters which have not been affected by ethnic strife. The ruling by a division bench comprising Chief Justice Siddharth Mridul and Justice Golmei Gaiphulshillu Kabui came after the Manipur government extended the mobile internet ban in the northeastern state till November 8. "The state of Manipur is directed to open and operationalise mobile towers, on a trial basis, in all those district headquarters which have not been affected by violence," the court said while hearing a PIL. The November 6 order also asked the Manipur government to extend the services thereafter to other areas if the law and order situation permits. The court directed the state to upload on its official website copies of all the orders issued in relation to the suspension or curbing of mobile internet data services. The next hearing for compliance of the matter has been schedu

Manipur govt extends internet ban in state till Nov 8 to contain violence

The Manipur government has extended the mobile internet ban in the state till November 8, officials said. Barring a few days in September, mobile internet has remained banned in Manipur since May 3 when ethnic clashes broke out, they said. The latest move comes after a mob had on Wednesday attacked a camp of 1 Manipur Rifles here to loot its armoury, prompting security personnel to fire several rounds in the air. The internet ban was extended following "apprehensions that anti-social elements might use social media extensively for transmission of images, hate speeches and hate video messages, inciting the passions of the public which might have serious repercussions for the law and order situation in the state". An order issued by Commissioner (Home) T Ranjit Singh, acknowledged the existence of "elements of imminent danger of loss of life and/or damage to public-private property... as a result of inflammatory material and false rumours which might be transmitted/circulated to the

Manipur violence: Govt extends mobile internet ban till November 8

The Manipur government has extended mobile internet ban in the state till November 8, officials said on Sunday. The move comes after a mob had on Wednesday attacked a camp of 1 Manipur Rifles here to loot its armoury, prompting security personnel to fire several rounds in the air. The ban was extended following "apprehensions that anti-social elements might use social media extensively for transmission of images, hate speeches and hate video messages inciting the passions of the public which might have serious repercussions for the law and order situation in the state". An order issued by Commissioner (Home) T Ranjit Singh, acknowledged the existence of "elements of imminent danger of loss of life and/or damage to public-private property...as a result of inflammatory material and false rumours which might be transmitted/ circulated to the public through social media...in the context of the recent incidents of violence in some parts of the state". Tension had been brewing in the sta

Manipur violence: Mob tries to 'gherao' police station near CMO's office

A mob on Wednesday tried to gherao a Manipur Police office complex demanding arms in Imphal, the capital of the restive state, prompting the authorities to order firing of several rounds in the air and withdraw curfew relaxations in two districts, officials said. A tribal student body called for a 48-hour shutdown from midnight of Wednesday to protest against the deployment of additional police commandos in Moreh town in Tengnoupal district, where a sub-divisional police officer (SDPO) was shot dead on October 31. The Manipur government on Wednesday evening withdrew the daily curfew relaxation from 5 am to 10 pm in Imphal East and West districts "with immediate effect owing to developing law and order situation", according to an official order. The decision came following the attempt by a group of people to gherao the 1st Manipur Rifles complex, close to Raj Bhavan and Chief Minister's Office in Imphal West district, demanding weapons. Security forces fired several rounds in the ai

NIA opposes bail plea of man accused of transnational conspiracy in Manipur

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has opposed the bail plea of a man accused of involvement in a transnational conspiracy behind the Manipur violence. The agency submitted before Additional Sessions Judge Sachin Gupta that the accused - Moirangthem Anand Singh - had association with proscribed organisations and was arrested with sophisticated arms and ammunition along with his associates in an area affected by the ongoing strife. "The accused was involved in transnational conspiracy hatched by the Myanmar-based leadership of terror outfits operationally active in the North Eastern Indian states to exploit the current ethnic unrest in the state of Manipur to wage war against the Government of India and execute terror attacks there by exacerbating the current situation...," the agency told the court. It submitted that if the accused was released on bail, it will cause hardship to the ongoing investigation, and considering the history of the accused, there was high probability th

Manipur govt extends mobile internet ban for another 5 days till Oct 31

The Manipur government has extended mobile internet ban for another five days till October 31, officials said on Thursday. The move comes barely a week after Chief Minister N Biren Singh had said the government would withdraw the ban within the next few days. The ban was extended following "apprehensions that some anti-social elements might use social media extensively for transmission of images, hate speech and hate videos inciting the passions of the public which might have serious repercussions on the law and order situation," a government notification said. The notification by commissioner (home) T Ranjit Singh informed that the DGP vide letter dated October 25 had "reported that there are still reports of incidents of violence like confrontation of the public with security forces, attempts to mob elected members residences and civil protests in front of police stations." "To thwart the designs and activities of anti-nationals and anti-socials and to maintain peace and communal

Rs 6.13 cr disbursed to provide aid to 61,000 people: Manipur CM

Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh on Wednesday said his government has disbursed more than Rs 6.13 crore to deputy commissioners to provide assistance to over 61,000 people currently living in relief camps in the violence-hit northeastern state. The financial aid was provided to them to purchase clothes and personal belongings ahead of the winter season, he said. Each person living in the relief camps will get Rs 1,000 as part of the assistance, the chief minister said. "Financial assistance of Rs 1,000 per head has been disbursed for all the displaced persons residing at the relief camps on October 24, 2023 through the DCs. These payments are aimed at providing the displaced people some assistance to purchase clothing and personal belongings as winter approaches in the state," Singh said. "A total of Rs 6.138 crore has been released to DCs which will be utilised for providing assistance to 61,387 people" currently living in relief camps in the state, he said. The state governm

RSS chief says Manipur violence orchestrated, blames external forces

Bhagwat cautioned RSS workers not to get provoked as political discourse could get increasingly intemperate in the run-up to the elections

Security forces seize huge cache of arms in Manipur's East Imphal district

Security forces seized a huge cache of arms and ammunition during search operations in Manipur's Imphal East district, a police statement said. The arms and ammunition were seized from Shantipur, Khamenlok and Wakan areas under Sagolmang police station jurisdiction in Imphal East district on Thursday, it said. The number of seized weapons included 36 arms including three numbers of Ak 47/56, four carbine machine guns, seven SLRs and 1,615 number of ammunition and explosives including 82 numbers of hand grenades, police said. Security forces also recovered 132 war-like stores including bulletproof jackets, walkie talkie sets. The recovered weapons include three AK-47/56 rifles and carbine machine guns, the statement said. The seized items have been handed over to Sagolmang police station for further legal procedures, it said. Police also said "During the last 24 hours, the situation in the state was under control". Chief Minister N Biren Singh at the 132nd Raising Day of Manipur P

NIA makes first arrest in connection with Manipur car bomb blast case

The National Investigation Agency on Monday arrested a person in Assam in connection with a car bomb blast that took in Manipur in June, an official said. An improvised explosive device-laden vehicle parked on a bridge went off on June 21 in the Kwakta area of Manipur's Bishnupur district, resulting in injuries to three people. The bridge, along with a few houses nearby, was also damaged in the blast. The National Investigation Agency (NIA) said Md Noor Hussain was arrested on an intelligence-based joint operation with the Assam Police from Silchar, in Cachar district, in connection with the blast. The case was initially registered by the Manipur Police on June 21 at the PGCI police station in Moirang sub-division of Bishnupur and re-registered by the NIA two days later in Imphal, the official said. Investigation revealed the involvement of Hussain in the bomb blast, the official said, adding that further probe in the case is in progress.

Manipur govt restrains circulation of videos depicting violence, damage

In a bid to restrain the circulation of videos and images depicting violence and damage to properties in the state, the Manipur government in an order said such dissemination will be dealt with severely and booked as per law. The order, which was issued on Wednesday night, came even as videos and images of widespread violence went viral on social media platforms. One such video shows two Meitei youths being shot at point blank and then being buried in a pit by a group of people speaking Kuki language. The location of the incident site and the place of the burial is, however, not known. The order issued by the Manipur home department stated, "The state government views very seriously and with utmost sensitivity the reported spread of videos and images depicting violent activities, inflicting harm or injury to (any)body or damage to private and public properties through various social media platforms which may aggravate the law and order situation in the state. "The state government .

Manipur violence: NIA court sends accused Gangte to judicial custody

Accused Seiminlun Gangte was recentlty arrested from Manipur and brought to Delhi

Renaming of districts, institutes without approval punishable: Manipur govt

The Manipur government has issued a notification, advising against renaming of districts and institutions without its prior approval, contending that such a move could create conflict among communities and aggravate the current law and order situation. Anyone found violating the directive shall be prosecuted under relevant laws, it said. Over 180 people lost their lives and several hundreds have been injured since ethnic clashes broke out in Manipur on May 3, after a 'Tribal Solidarity March' was organised in the hill districts to protest against the Meitei community's demand for Scheduled Tribe status. "No one shall make or attempt to make any deliberate act of renaming districts, sub-divisions, places, institutions and address of such institutions without the approval of the state government," the order issued by Chief Secretary Vineet Joshi said. It has come to the notice of the state government of Manipur from reliable sources that many civil society organisations, institutions

Manipur's tribal body ITLF withdraws indefinite shutdown after 2 days

The Indigenous Tribal Leaders' Forum (ITLF), a major Kuki organisation, on Tuesday withdrew the indefinite shutdown it called two days ago in Churachandpur district to protest against the arrests made by the CBI and NIA in connection with the killing of two youths and another case. The ITLF said it will monitor the situation and decide later if another intense agitation is needed. After careful consideration, the indefinite shutdown declared by the Indigenous Tribal Leaders' Forum ... will be concluded by 6 pm today, the tribal body said in a statement. It said that an ongoing dharna by the ITLF women's wing will be resumed from next week. News of the killing of two youths - 20-year-old male Phijam Hemanjit and Hijam Linthoingambi, a 17-year-old girl - who had gone missing on July 6 caused a massive outcry and violent demonstration in Imphal Valley after photos of their bodies surfaced on September 25. Four people were arrested by CBI in connection with the kidnapping and killing.

NIA arrests accused from Manipur in transnational conspiracy case

The agency sleuths arrested Seiminlun Gangte in a case the NIA registered suo moto on July 19 this year

Security staff who used force against students to be punished: Manipur CM

Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh Saturday iterated that security personnel involved in the "excessive use of force" against students during a crackdown on a protest rally here in connection with the alleged killing of two students will be punished. He appealed to the people to remain united, maintain calm and collectively fight the enemies of the state, which has witnessed ethnic violence. Expressing shock over the incident in Imphal area which more than 100 students were injured in clashes with security forces on Tuesday and Wednesday this week, Singh, who was speaking at the sidelines of a programe here, said "I am really shocked at the excessive use of force ... at what was done to the children. Ministers of the state have personally met the injured students." Inquiry is on into the serious injury to the students. "Those responsible for the extreme injuries will be arrested and be dealt with legally," the chief minister said. Two students were seriously injured in the clash

Supreme Court committee orders protection of religious buildings in Manipur

386 religious structures have been vandalised over the course of the ongoing unrest, including 254 churches and 132 temples

IPS officer who cracked Pulwama attack called back to Manipur amid violence

Fresh violence erupted in Manipur this week over the brutal killings of two students who went missing on July 6