New Delhi/Guwahati
Manipur remains tense as defying curfew hundreds of protesters, on the call of the influential umbrella body of Meitei groups, Coordinating Committee on Manipur Integrity (COCOMI), gathered at Phougakchao Ikhai in Manipur’s Bishnupur district on Wednesday and tried to break through army barricades in an attempt to reach their deserted houses in Torbung.
Following the COCOMI and its women wing’s call for storming the Army barricades, authorities had re-imposed full curfew in all five valley districts. Phougakchao Ikhai is in Meitei dominated Bishnupur district, a few kilometres away from Kuki dominated Churachandpur.
“We want the barricades to be removed because beyond the barricades there are lands of the Meiteis. We want to resettle there and get our land back,” COCOMI coordinator Jeetendra Ningomba said. The COCOMI said they had requested the government to remove the barricades at Phougakchao Ikhai by August 30.
Tension was palpable in the area, with security forces comprising personnel of RAF, the Assam Rifles and Manipur Police firing tear gas shells to bring the situation under control and the protesters staying put at the spot, demanding that they be allowed to visit Torbung in the district, from where they were displaced following the ethnic clashes since May.
The cancellation of curfew relaxation hours came into effect in Bishnupur, Kakching, Thoubal, Imphal West and Imphal East.
MEANWHILE: SUPREME COURT PROTECTS EGI MEMBERS FROM ARREST
The Supreme Court on Wednesday directed the Manipur police not to take any coercive steps against the Editors Guild of India (EGI) president Seema Mustafa and three members namely Seema Guha, Bharat Bhushan and Sanjay Kapoor till September 11. The Manipur police has booked the journalists in two cases for offences including promoting enmity between two communities and defamation.
The apex court took up the matter on an urgent mentioning by the EGI and a bench headed by Chief Justice of India (CJI) DY Chandrachud agreed to take up the petition on Monday and directed a copy of the petition to be supplied to the Manipur government for taking instructions.
The bench, also comprising justices JB Pardiwala and Manoj Misra, further directed, “In the meantime, no coercive steps shall be taken in connection with the two FIRs registered against the petitioners.”
Earlier, appearing for the EGI president, senior advocate Shyam Divan said, “We are apprehending serious threat to our life. The Chief Minister of the State, N Biren Singh has held a press conference and made a statement imputing commission of offences as detailed in the FIR against the Editors Guild,”
He claimed a situation of very grave urgency has arisen following the release of the fact-finding report published by it on September 2.
Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh had on Monday said that a police case had been filed on the basis of a complaint against the president and three members of the EGI for trying to create more clashes in the State and for publishing a “totally one-sided” report on the ethnic clashes. A second FIR was also registered against the four members, with the additional charge of defamation. The EGI members were booked on the complaint of a Manipur-based social worker.
The Chief Minister said that at a time when many have been killed and left homeless, the EGI published a “totally one-sided” report without understanding the complexity of the crisis faced by Manipur, the background and the history of the state.
The police invoked IPC sections 153A, 200, 295, 298, 500, 505(1)(b), 505(2) and 120B, relating to promoting enmity, defiling place of worship with intent to insult the religion of any class, uttering words with deliberate intent to wound the religious feelings of any person, public mischief etc.
