Manipur shutdown over Salungpham killing disrupts daily life
Bandh supporters protested against the killing of a man and the arrest of six others, whom police identified as PREPAK members but locals defended as neighbourhood volunteers.
A deserted Ima Keithel during the shutdown in Imphal on Saturday
Imphal, Dec 29: A 24- hour shutdown against the killing of a person in Manipur affected normal life on Saturday, particularly in State capital Imphal. The shutdown had come into force from 6 pm of December 27 and continued till 6 pm of Saturday.
The newly formed Joint Action Committee (JAC) had called for the shutdown across the State, demanding justice for the killing of a person at Salungpham area in Thoubal district on December 14 and the release of six arrested persons.
The shutdown disturbed vehicular movement in the State, particularly in Imphal.
All shops in major markets in the State, including those at Paona Bazar, Thangal Bazar, MG Avenue and the iconic Nupi Keithel (women's market) all in the heart of Imphal town and other markets remained closed.
Functioning of State, Central and private offices and business establishments was also affected, while all educational institutions also remained closed. The shutdown led Imphal to come to a standstill, but other areas of the State also witnessed total closure, as passenger's vehicles were off the roads.
However, essential services, including media, were exempted from the purview of the shutdown. There was no report of any untoward incident during the strike till the filing of this report.
The shutdown became more effective after the Students' Front and Women's Wing of the Coordinating Committee on Manipur Integrity (COCOMI), a conglomeration of several Meitei civil society organisations, extended support to it.
On Friday, sit-ins were staged at different locations of the state, to denounce the killing and arrest of six persons.
Bandh supporters took to the streets, burning tyres at Lamphel Sanakeithel in Imphal West and vandalizing vehicles in Bishnupur district, targeting four-wheelers on the roads. The protests followed police claims that the six individuals arrested, along with one killed in a gunfight at Salungpham in Thoubal, were members of the banned outfit PREPAK involved in extortion activities.
Police also recovered a significant cache of arms and ammunition, including weapons reportedly looted from police armories.
However, the bandh supporters refuted the allegations, asserting that the individuals were "village volunteers" safeguarding their neighborhoods from armed Kuki groups.
