Imphal, May 21 : Almost every day, the past 140 days from this year January 1 till today people of Manipur experienced agitations, protests, bandhs or strike which disturbed in one way or the other.
Out of a total of 30 different forms of protest or agitations that were faced by the people, 19 are bandhs or general strike (state-wide and district-wide) which affected the normal life for 20 days during the period from January 1 to April 30.
The number does not include the currently ongoing agitations like the ongoing protest of the volunteers and supporters of Manipur Forward Youth Front, MAFYF against the arrest its president Sapamacha Kangelipal and his detention under NSA.
Protest against injury of a student of Manipur University Imphal in shooting, against the killing of a person at Ningthoukhong in Bishenpur district by troops of 15 Jammu and Kashmir Light Infantry last weekend are also currently on.
Today also police dispersed a group of protestors storming the chief minister’s bungalow demanding justice to the shooting of the MU student, Ranjit by a personnel of the Manipur Rifles during a frisking and checking last weekend while a local JAC formed in connection with killing of one Shyamjai hailing from Moirang in Bishenpur district is imposing bandh along the Imphal-Churachandpur section of NH-150 (Tiddim road).
The data also did not count the closures of shops and business establishment and other private and government institutions at various parts of the state due to the unbearable extortion demands and threats to their lives for non-payment of the money they demanded.
Many shops located in small market places in the Imphal city as well as in the outskirts of Imphal including pharmacy shops and their agents had and have been facing heavy monetary demands.
Passenger service operators of all kinds (including auto-rickshaw service operators and interstate bus services) had at many occasions suspended their services which disturbed the normal movement of the people repeatedly.
Apart from this many state as well district level student’s bodies also launched various kinds of agitations like the closure of government offices and imposition of economic blockades on the highways.
One such economic blockade imposed by the All Manipur Tribal Students Organization, ATSUM which extended over 15-day had concluded only on May 17 last.
In January, the first month of this year three bandhs were witnessed in Manipur. The Kuki Students’ Organization opened the account of the bandh with the imposition of a 12-hour Manipur bandh on January 11. The bandh was called in connection with their demand for exercise of the delimitation works in the state at the earliest.
Another 12-hour NH-150 (Tiddim) bandh called by Loktak Development Authority Master Roll Employees came up on January 30. This was followed by 24-hour Sadar Hill bandh imposed from midnight of January 31 till February 2.
At least different forms of agitations and protest disturbed the whole month of February in Manipur.
A 24-hour state-wide general strike called by the JAC of 5th and 6th IRB waiting list candidates on February 1 well come the second month of the year. It was followed by another state-wide 12-hour general strike called by a JAC formed against the kidnapped of an assistant engineer named N Kesho Singh of Kakching state electricity department.
Other district-wide bandh in Thoubal district in this month were 24-hour bandh on NH-39 called by the locals on the controversial death of a house wife Santi Devi on February 2. On the same day another Uripok-Kangchup road bandh in Imphal west district disturbed normal lives in the district.
The bandh was called in protest against the rounding of eight women from Mayang Langjing for allegedly shouting slogans against the India government supporting the boycott of Republic Day called by underground organizations in the state.
The All Manipur Petroleum Tankers’ Union suspended their services from February 12 till 24 of the same month demanding transfer of IOC, Imphal depot managers. This had severely affected to the transport system in the state due to shortest of vehicle fuels.
During March, only one bandh in Imphal West against the expansion of Imphal airport was witnessed even though various protest in this regard were launched by the local residence residing in the surrounding of the airport.
The normal lives in the state were severely disturbed in the state in this month after the serial murder of at least 15 non-local labourers which the state authority imposed night curfew till middle week of April. The holy festival was also disturbed by it.
The holy festival which falls in the last week of March which witnessed killing of three persons including a girl at Heirok in Thoubal district and killing of two tribal girls in the same district by the militants rocked the state again during the month of April.
Protest against kidnapping of engineers of state public works department on April 3, rally against the killing and torture of women in Imphal and Churachnadpur on April 5 and 8, transporters suspension of plying vehicles on the Imphal-Moreh highway no. 39 and stoppage of all kinds of passenger services was also witnessed in this month.
24-hour bandh along the NH-39 against the acquisition of land for expansion of Manipur University, CPI protest against price hike on april 17, Tiddim road bandh on April 21 and on NH-39 against killing of a youth by militants and indefinite bandh on Nh-39 by All Tribal Women’s Organisation and 24-hour district-wide bandh in Senapati district on April 24 distrubed lives in Manipur severely.
EP
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