Imphal, Sept 11: Hundreds of students, angry over the continuing violence in the state, marched towards Raj Bhawan, on Tuesday, forcing police to use tear gas to disperse the agitated crowd, cut internet service and impose indefinite curfew in the valley.
The mob, that included womenfolk from the majority Meitei community, clashed with security forces pelting stones and other lethal objects prompting the men in uniform to retaliate by firing tear gas canisters to break up the marchers.
Over 40 students were injured in the clash.
The protestors are pressing for the removal of the state police chief (DGP) and security advisor to the state government.
An indefinite curfew, preventing people from coming outside their houses, has been clamped in Imphal East and West districts, while prohibitory orders under Section 163 (2) of BNSS were imposed in Thoubal.
The Manipur government has suspended internet services across the five districts in the valley where the turmoil is taking place amid the intensified agitation by students.
Trouble began after hundreds of students and womenfolk came together and began their march to the Raj Bhawan located at BT road. They were stopped by security forces near the Congress Bhavan, police inform.
Angry at being denied clearance to proceed further, the marchers became agitated and soon all hell broke loose as the protestors threw rocks and stones and used catapults and slings to target the security forces, police officials informed.
Manipur University students also staged a protest rally and burnt the effigy of Union Home Minister Amit Shah.
Unable to move towards the Governor house, the protestors then made an attempt to march to the seat of power- the State Secretariat. They were blocked by a large police force at Kakwa.
The agitators accuse the state DGP and the security advisor appointed by the centre to the state government of failing to deal with the law and order situation in Manipur.
The state government has justified the move to cut internet services so as to curb the use of social media for transmission of images, hate speech and hate video, the state home department said in a notification.
The Centre has also directed the deployment of two more CRPF battalions comprising about 2,000 personnel for security duties in ethnic strife-torn Manipur, official sources said. (PTI)
Delhi airlifts additional forces to Imphal
The Centre is dispatching two additional CRPF battalions comprising about 2,000 personnel for security duties in the face of growing unrest in ethnic strife-torn Manipur.
One CRPF battalion is being taken out from Warangal in Telangana and another from Latehar in Jharkhand. One will be headquartered in Kangvai (Churachandpur) in Manipur while the second will be stationed around state capital Imphal.
The move comes following the withdrawal of two Assam Rifles battalions from Manipur for operational duties in Jammu and Kashmir and some other parts of the Northeast.
Indian Airforce transport aircrafts were at the forefront in getting the additional troops airborne for Manipur on Tuesday, defence sources inform. (with inputs from PTI)
