New Delhi: In the last 10 days, 10 people have lost their lives in the violence in Manipur, signalling significant reprisal of the strife in the northeastern state. Among those killed is a former serviceman.
The killings span multiple regions across the state – five people died in Jiribam, which shares a border with Assam, and the former armyman was killed in Sekmai, a town close to Imphal which is roughly 250 kilometres from Jiribam.
The killings this time reflect the widespread nature of the unrest across the state.
The violence erupted on September 1, when bombs were thrown for the first time in the Koutuk Kadangband village. An alleged drone attack killed a woman and injured nine others, including an 11-year-old, igniting protests and further clashes, as people took to the streets.
The Manipur government suspended internet and mobile data services across the state from 3 pm on September 10, until 3 pm on September 15, 2024, citing concerns about the “spread of disinformation and rumours through social media”.
The last digital blackout in Manipur had lasted for over 3,050 hours. The Kuki Students’ Organisation has called for the restoration of internet services in the hill districts, accusing the authorities of shutting it down primarily due to unrest in the valley. “Since the problem is confined to the Valley Districts, why should the hill districts suffer?” they asked.
“This blackout might also be an attempt to hide certain criminal activities, such as the removal of the Salei Taret flag at the DC Thoubal office,” they added.
Both the Kuki and the Meitei communities feel the internet shutdown is an attempt to hide the true situation in Manipur from the rest of the country.
Speaking to The Wire, Chanthoi, a member of the Meira Paibi – a Meitei women’s group – asked why the “Assam Rifles can’t stop the Kukis.” She added, “Instead, they are telling us to protect ourselves by putting nets on our terraces.”
Chanthoi’s worry is that these safety instructions might reveal the locations of those at risk. The Assam Rifles has denied giving any such instruction in the area.
Members of both communities have, meanwhile, alleged that the other community is using drones to snoop on them.
Meanwhile, in Imphal, hundreds of people, including students, have taken to the streets, demanding the withdrawal of central forces. They believe the central forces are failing to control the violence from the hill areas, while those on the hills claim the state forces are equally ineffective.
Education
Students are also demanding a return to normal education timelines. This marks the second time in the past one-and-half years that students have protested in Imphal.
Amid the ongoing unrest, all scheduled postgraduate and undergraduate examinations under Manipur University have been postponed indefinitely.
Last year, state education minister Thounaojam Basantakumar Singh had announced summer vacations from May 4, 2023 to May 30, 2023 after violence erupted in the state. Subsequently, the vacations were extended till June 19 and further extended till July 1, after which the Manipur government reopened schools on July 5. No online classes were conducted at any point during the closure as internet in the state remained suspended for over two months before being lifted partially.
On July 25, the Manipur home department came up with guidelines in which the government decided to maintain the suspension of mobile data under Rule 2 of Temporary Suspension of Telecom Services Rules, 2017, and largely lifted the ban on broadband services. On August 10, the government reopened schools for class 9-12 students.
However, many students from the Kuki community were forced to take their semester exams in district collectors’ offices due to a lack of internet access and their inability to travel to Imphal. Several students eventually transferred from universities in Imphal to institutions in mainland India, as they could no longer visit the valley. Many also expressed frustration, stating that some subjects require hands-on, practical learning, which online education cannot provide.
Y. Ali is a journalist.