Clashes broke out in Manipur after a Tribal Solidarity March was organised in the hill districts on May 3 to protest against the Meitei community’s demand for Scheduled Tribe (ST) status.
The Manipur government has extended the ban on internet services across the state for five more days in order to curb the spread of hate speech and maintain peace amid reports of sporadic incidents of violence, according to an official order on Sunday.
The ban was first clamped on May 5 after clashes broke out following a ‘Tribal Solidarity March’ that was organised in the hill districts to protest against the Meitei community’s demand for Scheduled Tribe (ST) status.
The order on Sunday, which was signed by the state government’s commissioner of the home department, said there was apprehension that anti-social elements might use “social media to disseminate images, hate speech, and hate video messages, which could have serious repercussions for the law and order situation”.
It further said that since there was “an imminent danger of loss of life and /or damage to public/private property, and widespread disturbances to public tranquillity and communal harmony,” the authorities were banning all mobile internet and broadband services till May 26.
According to a report by Hindustan Times, speaking on condition of anonymity, a Manipur police officer said while the restrictions on internet services were in place since the violence broke out, government offices started getting restricted access to it.
“Internet has not been restored since it was banned earlier this month. The government offices, especially offices of senior police officers, have restricted internet working at their locations for operations purposes,” the officer said requesting anonymity.
Residents who have been facing the brunt of blanket suspension of internet said that the government should have instead. curbed the use of social networking sites as only those are used in spreading misinformation.
Meanwhile, the Imphal Free Press reported that the print media are running out of news prints and other printing materials due to blockade of the national highways of Manipur by agitators. The All Manipur Working Journalists Union (AMWJU) and the Editors Guild Manipur (EGM) issued a joint statement stating that the ban on the internet services in Manipur due to the present law and order situation has severely impacted the working of all media houses both print and electronics.
The violence was preceded by tension over the eviction of Kuki villagers from reserve forest land, which had led to a series of smaller agitations. Meiteis account for about 53 per cent of Manipur’s population and live mostly in the Imphal Valley. Tribals — Nagas and Kukis — constitute another 40 per cent of the population and reside in the hill districts.
At least 60 people died in the violence and over 30,000 became homeless. The security forces evacuated around 26,000 to safety outside their districts and around 4,000 are housed in camps close to their homes, according to Information and Public Relations Minister Sapam Ranjan Singh.
(With inputs from PTI)