Manipur: Internet banned, Section 144 imposed in Churachandpur amid violence
The government of Manipur suspended mobile internet services and banned large gatherings in the Churachandpur district amid violence ahead of Chief Minister N Biren Singh's visit on Friday. According to the latest reports, prohibitory directives under Section 144 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC) were put into place in the Manipur district to prevent any untoward incidents.
Why does this story matter?
An angry mob on Thursday allegedly vandalized and set fire to an open gym scheduled to be inaugurated by the Manipur CM, reportedly over the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government's survey of reserved and protected forests and areas. The demonstration is against the government's inaction despite repeated submittal of memoranda protesting an ongoing eviction campaign to clear reserved forested areas of farmers/tribal settlers.
Details on state government's move amid violence
The Indigenous Tribal Leaders Forum has also placed a "total shutdown" from 8:00am to 4:00pm on Friday, allegedly to sabotage Singh's visit, according to the news outlet The Hindu. While there is still no information on whether Singh has canceled his visit, the government order stated that assembly of five or more individuals, taking out a procession, and carrying of weapons are strictly prohibited.
Details on open gym
The open gym was set up at New Lamka's PT Sports complex, which Singh was set to inaugurate on Friday afternoon. While the police responded quickly to the arson, some damage had already been done to the venue. Other than inaugurating the open gym, the Manipur CM is also set to attend another function organized by a local at Sadbhavna Mandap.
Here's why tribal leaders are not happy
Reportedly, the tribal leaders are outraged over the demolition of houses constructed in the Imphal East district by tribal land encroachers. During the demolition drive, a few churches that were illegally built on encroached land were also demolished. Furthermore, the tribal leaders are also not happy with the government survey of protected forest/wildlife/wetlands with the aim of evicting the tribal villagers.
Additional forces ready to cope fresh violence outbreaks in Churachandpur
As a result of Thursday's violence, the Churachandpur district administration has decided to ramp up security measures in the area to maintain law and order. Additional forces have also been kept on standby in case of a new outbreak of violence in the troubled district and other vulnerable areas of the state.
