Police post in Manipur village, strike hits hills & rebels arrested
OUR CORRESPONDENT
Imphal, Nov. 27: A 24-hour bandh called by the Peoples Democratic Alliance, a political party, paralysed normal life in the five hill districts of Manipur.
The bandh, which began at midnight last night, was called in protest against the deployment of India Reserve Battalion personnel, police commandos and members of the village volunteer force in the hill districts of Ukhrul, Tamenglong, Chandel, Churachandpur and Senapati.
“The bandh was total and peaceful in all the five hill districts. The support was overwhelming,” Gaidon Kamei, the spokesman for the Alliance, said after visiting some of the districts.
He said the intention of the government to deploy the state forces was to crush regional aspirations of the tribal people, which could not be accepted.
The other demands of the hill-based party include the amendment to the Village Authority Act, 1956, a separate land law for the hills, clear reservation policy for the hills and implementation of the National Tribal Policy, 2006.
Kamei said the hills needed separate laws for protection of land, forest and economic rights of the inhabitants.
He said the village authority act was outdated and because of it there was chaos in tribal society.
Shops and business houses also remained closed in the headquarters of the five hill districts.
The bandh, however, did not affect academic activities and examinations in schools were held uninterrupted.
Coinciding with the hill bandh, a 24-hour chakka bandh was called by the Senapati District Students Association along the Imphal-Dimapur national highway since midnight last night in protest against the state government’s failure to repair the road.
The chakka bandh disrupted supply of essential commodities and vehicular movement, with trucks and passenger buses remaining off the highway.
The Imphal-Dimapur national highway is the main supply route to Manipur.
This is not the first time the student body imposed bandhs along the route. A 20-day economic blockade was observed in November last year over the same demand.
The association had also staged a five-day roadblock along the highway in November 2007.
“We had suspended our agitation after PWD K. Ranjit Singh promised us that the road would be repaired. But nothing came of the assurances,” Psokrehrii Khrasi, the president of the student body, said.
He said Union home secretary G.K. Pillai, during his visit to Senapati district in August this year, had promised to sanction funds for the road repair. However, the promise is yet to be fulfilled.
The student body has also demanded the opening of a fire station and a State Bank of India branch along the national highway at Tadubi in Senapati district.
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