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Manipur : Ibobi seeks please-all solution |
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Under mounting pressure from Naga students to come up with a solution to the current imbroglio in Manipur, Chief Minister Okram Ibobi Singh has launched hectic consultations with his ministers and ruling legislators in his efforts to find a solution acceptable to all.
Giving time to Ibobi Singh to amicably resolve the issue, the All Naga Students Association of Manipur (ANSAM) has since suspended its 52-day-long economic blockade imposed on the two national highways. While announcing the suspension, Naga student leaders warned that it was a temporary respite and whether the blockade would be totally lifted would depend upon the government’s response.
A source close to the Chief Minister said Ibobi Singh was consulting his ministers, legislators of the ruling coalition and leaders of social organisations. “We are trying to come up with a formula that is acceptable to all sections of the people”, said the source.
While Naga students are adamant that the June 18 general holiday should be withdrawn, other organisations in the valley warned that the Ibobi Singh government would face another bout of agitation if the holiday is done away with.
Students clash with cops, curfew clamped in Churachandpur
Manipur braced for another spell of unrest with tribal student activists clashing with police and indulging in arson at Churachandpur, forcing the administration to clamp indefinite curfew on August 19.
An unspecified number of students and police personnel were injured in the fracas. The protesters set ablaze four vehicles, three of them belonging to the police, and damaged doors and windows of a police station.
The Zomi Students Federation has been demanding compensation for the families of 11 people killed by security forces and militants in recent incidents, adequate number of teachers in educational institutions in the district and a more efficient administration. The situation worsened on Thursday, August 18, when the police rounded up six activists for their alleged involvement in some incidents of arson.
Hundreds of students stormed the police station in the heart of Churachandpur town the next day, August 19, demanding the unconditional release of the arrested activists. They then converged on the Deputy Commissioner’s residence and set ablaze a government vehicle parked nearby.
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