Imphal, May 3 : The Manipur government in India have imposed curfew in several districts and suspended internet services for five days across the Manipur state.
The government has also imposed curfew in a few districts to curb the rising communal tension following a public rally organised by ATSUM against the demand for inclusion of Metei/Meetei in the Scheduled Tribe category on Wednesday.
A protest rally in all hill districts was held on Wednesday by the All Tribal Student Union, Manipur (ATSUM). During the rally and total shutdown, there are reports of incidents like fighting amongst volunteers/youths of different communities, and the situation is tense and volatile in the districts of Bishnupur and Churachandpur.
Theinternet service was suspended in force for the next five days. The Scheduled Tribe Demand Committee of Manipur and other like-minded Meitei bodies have been demanding and urging the state government for the last 10 years to include the community in the Scheduled Tribe category to protect their ancestral lands, traditions, culture, language, and identity.
However, some tribal bodies, including ATSUM, are vehemently opposing the demands, saying that Meiteis are a comparatively advanced community and do not merit inclusion as a scheduled tribe.
Meanwhile, the Nexal guerrilla organisations posters have surfaced in the Khemabeda stone quarry in several area of Odisha state.
The posters, written on white paper, have been stuck at various places in Kuenri, including trees and vehicles. Even several walls of houses in Kuenri bear the posters put up by the CPI-Maoist.
The posters threaten the manager and government staff of Pathak Kunari to leave the place and return to their respective homes or else they would be killed. The guerrillas have also warned that they will burn all the machines and vehicles at the stone quarry if they do not receive an extortion sum worth Rs 12 lakh by May 15.