IMPHAL, 28 Sep: Violent protests over the death of two youths in Manipur continued till the early hours of Thursday with a mob vandalising the deputy commissioner’s office in Imphal West and torching two four-wheelers, officials said.
A fresh bout of violence, this time led by students, broke out in the state capital on Tuesday after photos of the bodies of two youths who went missing in July went viral on social media.
Last night, the protesters clashed with security personnel in Uripok, Yaiskul, Sagolband and Tera areas, prompting the forces to fire several rounds of tear gas shells to control the situation, officials said.
The protesters blocked roads with burning tyres, boulders and iron pipes to prevent the security forces from entering residential areas, they said.
A mob also vandalised the DC office and torched two four-wheelers. CRPF personnel brought the situation under control, they added.
Curfew was reimposed in the two districts – Imphal East and West – as the security forces combatted the violent protests, which saw 65 demonstrators getting injured since Tuesday.
Meanwhile, a BJP office in Khongjam in Thoubal district was set on fire, police said.
In a statement, the Manipur Police said that a mob targetted a police vehicle and burnt it, besides assaulting a policeman and snatching his weapon.
Stern action will be taken against those indulging in such crimes, it said, adding that a search operation is underway for the recovery of the snatched arms and the arrest of the accused.
The Manipur Commission for Protection of Child Rights, meanwhile, urged the security forces not to use lathi-charge, tear gas shells and rubber bullets “arbitrarily and abruptly” against teenagers.
Centre transfers Srinagar SSP to Manipur
The Centre has rushed senior IPS officer Rakesh Balwal from Jammu & Kashmir to Manipur amid fresh violence in the northeastern state.
Balwal, a 2012 batch IPS officer serving as the Srinagar senior superintendent of police (SSP), has been transferred to his parent cadre Manipur, where the situation has been tense for the past few months. He had taken charge as Srinagar SSP in late 2021.
“The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet has approved the proposal of the ministry of home affairs for premature repatriation of Rakesh Balwal, IPS, from AGMUT cadre to Manipur cadre,” an official order said.
Before taking charge as the Srinagar SSP, Balwal was on deputation with the NIA for three-and-a-half years as superintendent of police and was a member of the team that investigated the 2019 Pulwama terror attack in which 40 CRPF personnel lost their lives.
More than 180 people have been killed and several hundred injured since ethnic violence broke out in Manipur on 3 May. (PTI)