Manipur: Curfew and internet shutdown in violence-hit Indian state
Authorities have imposed a curfew and shut down the internet in parts of the troubled north-eastern Indian state of Manipur after protests erupted over the arrest of leaders from an ethnic group.On Sunday, police arrested five leaders of Arambai Tenggol, an armed Meitei radical group, including their chief Asem Kanan Singh.India's top investigation agency said Singh was arrested at Manipur's Imphal airport for his involvement in "various criminal activities" related to the violence that broke out in the state in 2023.Manipur has been rocked by periodic violence since 2023 after ethnic clashes between the two largest groups, the majority Meitei and minority Kuki, over land and influence.
More than 250 people have been killed in the conflict, with tens of thousands displaced.Arambai Tenggol identifies itself as a social outfit and wields considerable influence in the state, enjoying support from the Meitei community.The latest round of tensions began on 7 June, when India's top investigation agency arrested Singh and four other leaders of Arambai Tenggol, following which he was taken to Guwahati city in the neighbouring state of Assam.The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), which is investigating cases related to violence in Manipur, said that the trial for these had been shifted from Manipur to Guwahati in Assam "in view of the law and order situation in Manipur".After the arrests, protesters demanding the release of members of Arambai Tenggol stormed a police post, set fire to a bus and blocked roads in parts of Imphal. Some protesters also clashed with security personnel, The Hindu newspaper reported. A 13-year-old boy was injured after security forces fired tear gas shells and live rounds to disperse crowds, The Hindustan Times reported.State lawmaker Okram Surjakumar said the arrests had thrown the state into chaos.Following the violence, the state government suspended internet and mobile data services in five districts of the state for five days and imposed an indefinite curfew in one. Gatherings of four or more people has also been prohibited in the some parts.Arambai Tenggol has also declared a 10-day shutdown in parts of the state since Saturday night. Priyanka Gandhi, leader of the opposition Congress party, on Sunday questioned why the government was unable to bring to peace to the conflict-hit state.Earlier this year, the Indian government brought the state under direct federal rule after the chief minister resigned following criticism from opposition groups.Gandhi blamed Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying he had not met representatives from the state or made any efforts for peace."It is the prime minister's responsibility to ensure peace and security for the citizens of the country. To step back from this is to turn away from one's duty," she wrote in a post on X.The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has been sharply criticised by opposition leaders and rights groups for its handling of the conflict. Opposition leaders have also criticised Modi for not visiting the state since the violence first began in 2023. On Sunday, a multi-party delegation of state lawmakers met the state governor.BJP lawmker Kh Ibomcha said the delegation had asked that the arrested leaders be released after they were questioned by the police.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Reuters
3 hours ago
- Reuters
Pakistan to cut overall spending but raise defence budget in 2025-26, source says
ISLAMABAD, June 10 (Reuters) - Pakistan's federal budget for fiscal year 2025-26 is expected to cut spending to 17.57 trillion rupees ($62.30 billion) from 18.9 trillion rupees in the previous year, a source said ahead of the announcement on Tuesday. But it is expected to raise defence spending to 2.55 trillion rupees ($9.04 billion) from 2.1 trillion rupees in the previous year, the source said, following a military conflict with old foe India last month. ($1 = 282.0000 Pakistani rupees)
Reuters
4 hours ago
- Reuters
India intensifies expulsion of suspected foreigners to Bangladesh
GUWAHATI, India, June 10 (Reuters) - India has started to push people it considers illegal immigrants into neighbouring Bangladesh, but human rights activists say authorities are arbitrarily throwing people out of the country. Since May, the northeastern Indian state of Assam has "pushed back" 303 people into Bangladesh out of 30,000 declared as foreigners by various tribunals over the years, a top official said this week. Such people in Assam are typically long-term residents with families and land in the state, which is home to tens of thousands of families tracing their roots to Muslim-majority Bangladesh. Activists say many of them and their families are often wrongly classified as foreigners in mainly Hindu India and are too poor to challenge tribunal judgements in higher courts. Some activists, who did not want to be named for fear of reprisal, said only Muslims had been targeted in the expulsion drive. An Assam government spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Assam, which has a 260 km (160 mile) border with Bangladesh, started sending back people last month who had been declared as foreigners by its Foreigners Tribunals. Such a move is politically popular in Assam, where Bengali language speakers with possible roots in Bangladesh compete for jobs and resources with local Assamese speakers. "There is pressure from the Supreme Court to act on the expulsion of foreigners," Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma told the state assembly on Monday. "We have pushed back 303 people. These pushbacks will be intensified. We have to be more active and proactive to save the state." He was referring to the Supreme Court asking Assam in February why it had not moved on deporting, opens new tab declared foreigners. Bangladesh's foreign affairs adviser, Touhid Hossain, did not immediately reply to an email seeking comment. Last week, he told reporters that people were being sent to his country from India and that the government was in touch with New Delhi over it. Aman Wadud, an Assam-based lawyer who routinely fights citizenship cases and is now a member of the main opposition Congress party, said the government was "arbitrarily throwing people out of the country". "There is a lot of panic on the ground - more than ever before," he said. Sarma said no genuine Indian citizens will be expelled. But he added that up to four of the people deported were brought back to India because appeals challenging their non-Indian status were being heard in court. One of them was Khairul Islam, a 51-year-old former government school teacher who was declared a foreigner by a tribunal in 2016. He spent two years in an Assam detention centre and was released on bail in August 2020. He said police picked him up on May 23 from his home and took him to a detention centre, from where he and 31 others were rounded up by Indian border guards and loaded into a van, blindfolded and hands tied. "Then, 14 of us were put onto another truck. We were taken to a spot along the border and pushed into Bangladesh," he said. "It was terrifying. I've never experienced anything like it. It was late at night. There was a straight road, and we all started walking along it." Islam said residents of a Bangladeshi village then called the Border Guard Bangladesh, who then pushed the group of 14 into the "no man's land between the two countries". "All day we stood there in the open field under the harsh sun," he said. Later, the group was taken to a Bangladesh guards camp while Islam's wife told police in Assam that as his case was still pending in court, he should be brought back. "After a few days, I was suddenly handed back to Indian police," he said. "That's how I made my way back home. I have no idea what happened to the others who were with me, or where they are." It is not only Assam that is acting against people deemed to be living illegally in the country. Police in the western city of Ahmedabad said they have identified more than 250 people "confirmed to be Bangladeshi immigrants living illegally here". "The process to deport them is in progress," said senior police officer Ajit Rajian.
The Independent
4 hours ago
- The Independent
Why is this Indian state asking to kill protected wild animals?
Kerala is asking the Indian government for permission to kill wild animals when they enter villages and threaten lives or damage property. The southern state's government is demanding changes to the Wildlife Protection Act of 1972 to let local officials deal swiftly with such animals, especially species that are currently fully protected under the law. Under the Indian wildlife law, animals listed in Schedule I get the highest level of protection and cannot be harmed or killed except in extreme cases. Species in Schedule II have slightly less protection, making it easier for local authorities to manage them when they cause trouble. Kerala already allows trained local wardens to kill wild boars entering inhabited areas and says that this has helped. Now it wants similar powers to deal with other problem animals that threaten lives and damage property. Animal attacks are a serious concern in Kerala, with nearly a third of its village councils – 273 out of 941 –identified as conflict hotspots. The main troublemakers include tigers, leopards, elephants, bison, wild boars, bonnet macaques, and peafowl. While monkeys and peafowl may not threaten human lives, their constant raids devastate crops and force many farmers to abandon their land, according to The Indian Express. Government data shows that from 2016-17 to January 2025, wildlife attacks in Kerala killed 919 people and injured nearly 9,000. There are several factors behind the increasing clashes between people and wildlife in Kerala. These include shifting wildlife populations, shrinking and degraded forest habitats, livestock grazing in forested areas, and changing cropping patterns that attract animals to farms. But a key factor is a population boom in wild pigs and bonnet macaques, which are increasingly invading villages and farms, causing widespread damage and distress. State authorities say the current legal framework often delays urgent action during wildlife emergencies, particularly when Schedule I species, like elephants or tigers, are involved. Under the law, a wild animal can be killed only as a last resort. The local chief wildlife warden must be satisfied that it cannot be captured, tranquilised, or relocated. Even then, captured animals cannot be held in confinement indefinitely. Adding to the complexity, states must also comply with guidelines from the National Tiger Conservation Authority and Project Elephant, both of which prioritise non-lethal responses to conflict. Technically, district collectors — as executive magistrates — have the power to remove public nuisances. But, in practice, a series of court rulings have restricted the use of this authority when it comes to wild animals, effectively tying the hands of local administrators when urgent action is needed. This legal and procedural maze, state authorities argue, is a major reason why Kerala wants the Wildlife Act amended. Tweaking the law, they say, will allow for faster, more decisive responses to manage escalating human-wildlife conflict. State forest minister AK Saseendran said Kerala was asking the federal government to amend the Wildlife Protection Act so as to permit the killing of all wild animals identified as maneaters. 'We are not looking for powers for indiscriminate killing of wild animals,' he said. ' Culling of animals posing threat to life and cultivation should be allowed for a certain period. The permission can be also region-specific and seasonal. All preventive measures such as fencing have failed to stop animal attacks.' Kerala is also advocating for the classification of wild boars as vermin for a limited period and for the removal of the bonnet macaque from Schedule I, a status the monkey species was granted only in 2022. Prior to this listing, the chief wildlife warden had the power to order the capture and relocation of bonnets wreaking havoc in human settlements. Another key proposed tweak is to decentralise authority by transferring the power to issue 'kill permits' from the chief wildlife warden to the chief conservators of forests. As senior regional officials, chief conservators can assess situations more quickly and respond with context-specific decisions. Kerala's proposal also includes provisions for region-specific culling of 'maneaters' such as leopards and tigers in zones with high levels of conflict. The aim is to develop clear guidelines that ensure such measures are used responsibly and do not lead to indiscriminate killings or misuse of the law. The proposal has drawn strong reactions from conservationists and ecologists. Critics argue that relaxing protections and permitting culling could set a dangerous precedent, particularly for species already vulnerable due to habitat loss. Wildlife experts also warn of ecological disruption, noting that key species from an area could have cascading effects on the ecosystem.
