Imphal: A curfew has been imposed in Manipur ’s capital city Imphal on Saturday amidst escalating tension in the state. The state government has also ordered the suspension of the internet in seven districts of Manipur. The Manipur government’s move to impose a curfew in Imphal has come up after three bodies, suspected to be among the six people who went missing from Manipur’s Jiribam on Monday, were found floating in River Jiri in the district. The Manipur government has ordered the suspension of internet in the districts of Imphal West, Imphal East, Bishnupur, Thoubal, Kakching, Kangpokpi and Churachandpur. 

Violent protests erupted, on Saturday, in parts of Manipur following the recovery of the dead bodies of three of six missing individuals from the Barak River in Jiribam district. The protests led to the ransacking and arson of residences belonging to three state ministers and six legislators. As tension escalated, the Manipur government imposed a curfew and suspended internet services in several districts to control the situation.

The bodies of two women and a child, who had been missing since Monday from a camp for the displaced, were recovered from Barak River in Jiribam on Saturday, while three other bodies, including a woman and two children, were found on Friday night.

Bodies of six people, including those three children, recovered from Manipur’s Jiribam district, were sent to Silchar Medical College Hospital (SMCH) in Assam for post-mortem examinations.

Among the ministers whose residences were stormed by the protesters are Sapam Ranjan, L Susindro Singh and Y Khemchand. “Curfew was imposed for an indefinite period in Imphal East and West, Bishnupur, Thoubal and Kakching districts of Imphal valley “due to developing law and order situation”, an official said.

The state administration suspended internet services temporarily in seven districts in the wake of protesters storming the residences of state ministers and MLAs, another official said.

A mob stormed the residence of Health and Family Welfare Minister Sapam Ranjan at Lamphel Sanakeithel in Imphal West district, police said.

Lamphel Sanakeithel Development Authority’s representative David told reporters, “Sapam assured us that the issues related to the killing of six persons will be discussed at a cabinet meeting and that the minister will tender his resignation if the government fails to honour the sentiment of the public.” Protesters also stormed the residence of Consumer Affairs and Public Distribution Minister L Susindro Singh in Imphal East district, prompting security forces to fire several rounds of tear gas shells to disperse the agitators, police said.

The residence of Y Khemchand, the minister for Municipal Administration Housing Development, in the Singjamei area in Imphal West district, was also targeted by the protesters, police said.

Agitators in Sagolband area in Imphal West district gathered in front of the residence of BJP MLA RK Imo, who is also the son-in-law of Chief Minister N Biren Singh, and raised slogans demanding an “appropriate response from the government” and urging the authorities to “arrest the culprits within 24 hours”.

The mob vandalised the MLA’s house and set ablaze the property of the legislator, police said. Protesters also stormed the residence of BJP legislator Sapam Kunjakesore in Tera in Imphal West, another officer said. One vehicle parked outside the MLA’s house was torched.

The residence of another BJP legislator Joykishan Singh at Thangmeiband in the district was also vandalised, police said.

Agitators gheraoed the houses JD(U) MLA T Arun of Wangkhei constituency and BJP legislator Karam Shyam of Langthabal. Protesters, who had come to meet Keishamthong constituency’s independent legislator Sapam Nishikanta Singh at his residence in Tiddim Road in Imphal West, targeted the office building of a local newspaper owned by him after they were informed that the legislator was not present in the state.

The mob destroyed some temporary structures in front of the office building, another official claimed.

Agitators also set tyres on fire in the middle of a road in Imphal town’s Thangmeiband area, just 200 metres away from the Manipur Legislative Assembly building, demanding justice for three persons whose bodies were found on Friday night near the Assam-Manipur border.

At Keisampat Bridge, tear gas shells were fired to disperse protesters who were attempting to march towards several buildings, including Raj Bhavan, and the Chief Minister’s Secretariat, the police said.

Chief Secretary Vineet Joshi ordered a temporary suspension of internet and mobile data services in the “territorial jurisdiction of currently affected districts of Imphal West, Imphal East, Bishnupur, Thoubal, Kakching, Kangpokpi and Churachandpur for two days with effect from 5.15 pm on Saturday.

The Coordinating Committee on Manipur Integrity (COCOMI), an apex body representing civil society organisations of Imphal Valley, demanded military action on militants within 24 hours.

At night, miscreants set fire to at least two churches and three houses in Jiribam town, officials said.

“There have been reports of further arson and the burning of additional structures by miscreants, but these claims have not yet been independently verified,” officials told PTI.

COCOMI spokesperson K Athouba called for the immediate repeal of AFSPA (Armed Forces Special Powers Act), which was recently re-imposed in areas under six police stations.

The bodies of the 10 Kuki-Zo youths killed in a gunfight with security personnel in Jiribam were on Saturday airlifted to Churachandpur from Assam’s Silchar town, where the autopsies were conducted.