Protests escalate in Manipur: Central govt offices locked, effigies of PM, Guv burnt
Defying the indefinite curfew in capital Imphal, students from various universities have joined the protests
AT Photo: Effigies of the Prime Minister, Governor of Manipur, and Chief Minister of Manipur burnt in Imphal by the students of various universities
Imphal, Nov. 18: Tensions in Manipur escalated on Monday as civil society organisations locked Central Government offices, and civilians burned effigies of the Prime Minister, Governor of Manipur, and Chief Minister Biren Singh.
Speaking to The Assam Tribune, K. Athouba, spokesperson for the Coordinating Committee of Manipur Integrity (COCOMI), stated that the Centre has failed to secure the lives and property of the people of Manipur.
"Since the report about the killing of minors and women, the people of Manipur feel that the Government of India has failed to safeguard the lives and property of its citizens, In response, residents have taken to the streets," Athouba said.
"We believe we must put pressure on the Centre to act sooner rather than later. The long-pending crisis, which has lasted over 18 months, needs resolution as soon as possible," he added, warning that more intense protests would follow if the crisis remains unresolved.
Sukham Bidyananda, the students' wing coordinator of COCOMI, said the organisation is protesting the Central Government’s failure by locking down key government institutions, including the Election Commission of Manipur.
“We have locked the central departments, including the Election Commission, to protest against the Government of India’s failure to protect the citizens of Manipur,” Bidyananda told The Assam Tribune.
Protesters shut down the Election Commission office in Lamphel, as well as the Economic and Statistics and IBSD office complexes.
AT Photo: COCOMI volunteers shutting down Central Government offices and departments
Meanwhile, students from various universities in Manipur have joined the protests, burning effigies of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Chief Minister N Biren Singh, and Governor Lakshman Prasad Acharya.
Defying the indefinite curfew in the capital, Imphal, the students have escalated their protests, expressing their condemnation of both the Union and state governments.
In addition to the national leaders, effigies were also burned of several local leaders, including RK Imo Singh, Sagolband MLA and son-in-law of Chief Minister N Biren Singh; Sapam Ranjan, Health and Public Relations Minister and Konthoujam MLA; Thongam Biswajit, Power Minister and Thongju MLA; K Govindas, PWD Minister and Bishnupur MLA; and several other local MLAs.
