Union Home Minister Amit Shah will hold a key meeting on Monday to review and strategies the security situation in Manipur along with high profile officials.
Violent protests have been observed over the past few days and reportedly a protester died on Sunday night. The protesters have ransacked party offices and attacked houses of legislators.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah will hold a key meeting on Monday to review and strategies the security situation in Manipur along with high profile officials.
The bodies of missing persons being found near Jiribam days after a gunfight killed 11 militants in the district has made the situation volatile.
Violent protests have been observed over the past few days and reportedly a protester died on Sunday night. The protesters have ransacked party offices, attacked houses of legislators after decomposed bodies of infants were found floating on the river near Jiribam.
The six persons, including three women and children each from the Meitei community, went missing from a relief camp in Jiribam's Borobekra area and were allegedly abducted by Kuki-Zo militants.
Centre To Send Additional 5000 Security Personnel To Manipur
The Centre has decided to send an additional 50 CAPF companies comprising more than 5,000 personnel to Manipur in view of the "challenging" security and law and order situation in the northeastern state.
CRPF Director General (CRPF) A D Singh and senior officers from other Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) are also present in the state.
According to PTI, 35 units will be drawn from the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), the rest will be from the Border Security Force (BSF).
Amit Shah To Hold Key Meeting
Amit Shah will hold a key meeting and review the situation in Manipur on Monday.
He is likely to give directions for handling the current "volatile" situation in the state.
National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, Union Home Secretary Govind Mohan and Intelligence Bureau Director Tapan Deka, among other top officials, are expected to attend the meeting, reportedly.
CM N Biren Singh Calls For Meeting In Manipur
Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh has also called all the BJP and ally MLAs at the CM’s secretariat in Imphal at 6 pm today for an urgent meeting over NPP's recent withdrawal and escalating situation in the state.
As situation worsened in Jiribam amid violent protests, the security personnel opened fire at the crowd to control the situation.
According to the Press Trust of India, the eyewitnesses claimed the firing came from the direction of the security forces when it hit a 20 year-old and killed him. But police said it was not immediately clear who opened fire.
According to an India Today report, the man was identified as K Athouba who died on Sunday night.
The injured person has been taken to the hospital and is currently receiving medical treatment.
NPP Withdraws Support From BJP-Led Manipur Govt
The National People's Party (NPP) which has seven MLAs in the 60-member assembly, on Sunday withdrew support from the BJP-led government in Manipur, claiming that the N Biren Singh dispensation has "completely failed to resolve the crisis and restore normalcy" in the northeastern state.
The withdrawal of support, however, would not have any impact on the BJP government, as the saffron party enjoys absolute majority with its 32 MLAs. The saffron camp has also the support of five MLAs of the Naga People’s Front (NPF) and 6 JD(U) legislators.
In the last few days, the situation in Manipur further deteriorated and many more innocent lives have been lost and people in the state are "going through immense suffering", the NPP claimed in a letter to BJP president J P Nadda.
"We strongly feel that the Manipur state government under the leadership of Shri Biren Singh has completely failed to resolve the crisis and restore normalcy. Keeping the current situation in mind, the National People's Party has decided to withdraw its support to the Biren Singh government in state of Manipur with immediate effect," the letter read.
On Sunday, the bodies of two persons, believed to be among the six missing people from Jiribam, were found floating in the Barak river in neighbouring Cachar district of Assam.
According to an NDTV report, the partially decomposed bodies a 60-year-old woman and his two-and-half-year old grandson were found floating in a river near Jiribam.
The kin of the deceased spoke to the media house and confirmed the identity of the two and some eye witnessed reportedly said that the arms were also missing from the boy's body. They believe that the boy, L Chingheinganba and his grandmother, Y Rani Devi were taken hostage on November 11 after a gunfight broke between security personnel and militants in Jiribam.
Two days ago, the bodies of three persons, also from the same group, were found floating in the Jiri river in Jiribum and brought to Silchar Medical College and Hospital for post-mortem examinations.
According to senior police officer officers of Assam, bodies of five missing persons have been found so far. A senior official from Assam Police Headquarters told PTI that the local unit of Cachar district is carrying out search operations in Barak River to locate the sixth person.
But on Saturday, police officials in Silchar told news agency PTI that the bodies of all six missing people had been recovered and sent to Silchar Medical College Hospital (SMCH) for post-mortem examinations.
Assam Hospital Completes Autopsy
The post-mortem examination of five bodies of persons who went missing from Manipur's Jiribam district has been completed at Silchar Medical College and Hospital in Cachar, Assam.
According to PTI, Manipur Police will make necessary arrangements for taking the bodies back to their state and handing over the mortal remains to the bereaved family members but when it will be done is not yet known.
The protesters ransacked the Bharatiya Janata Party and Congress party offices in Jiribam.
Several people had taken out protests on Friday and Saturday across districts of the state and some of the enraged people torched the houses of PWD Minister Govindas Konthoujam at Ningthoukhong, Hiyanglam's BJP MLA Y Radheshyam at Langmeidong Bazar, Wangjing Tentha's BJP MLA Paonam Brojen in Thoubal district and Khundrakpam's Congress MLA Th Lokeshwar in Imphal East district.
The Union home ministry said all security forces deployed in Manipur have been directed to take necessary steps to restore order and peace in the state.
Security forces have intensified patrolling in parts of Imphal and increased deployment at many of the residences of legislators as well as all major roads leading to the secretariat, state BJP headquarters and Raj Bhavan.
Curfew was imposed for an indefinite period in Imphal East and West, Bishnupur, Thoubal and Kakching districts of Imphal Valley.
Markets and business establishments, barring pharmacies, remained closed, while public transport was off the roads but a few private vehicles were seen on the roads on Monday morning.
The state administration suspended internet services in seven districts.