Imphal, January 24 (NNN): In the run up to India’s Republic Day celebration, Manipur wears the look of a heavily militarized State following the boycott call led by three banned armed underground outfits United National Liberation Front (UNLF), Peoples’ Liberation Army/Revolutionary Peoples’ Front (PLA/RPF) and Peoples’ Revolutionary Party of Kangleipak (PREPAK) under the banner Manipur People's Liberation Front (MPLF).
As is the wont, on January 20 the permanent body of MPLF issued a press release saying Manipur became a republic with the formation of a popular government through adult franchise under the Manipur State Constitution Act 1948 and that the State was annexed through “treachery and deceit” on October 15 by the Indian Union in contravention to the wishes of the people by having king Bodhchandra sign Merger Agreement under duress in Shillong in 1949.
The consortium of the banned outfits, including Kangleipak Communist Party-Military Council (KCP-MC), have warned the people not to venture out in observance of the day; all business activities and transport services including flight service are advice to suspend their function on the day, however, media, medical and religious services are exempted from the purview of the boycott.
“Anybody defying the ban on participation in Republic Day celebration would be viewed as supporters of the alien rule,” a release from KCP-MC said.
Given the situation, the government of Manipur has beefed up security arrangement across the four valley districts to pre-empt any eventual strike from the banned underground outfits boycotting the day. Checking and frisking in strategic locations in Imphal city has become the norm thereby causing inconveniences to motorists and jaywalkers.
Despite this, security forces have not been able to prevent major disasters from happening within the four districts. For instance, on January 21 night, K.I Singh, a senior divisional manager (retail sales) of Indian Oil Corporation (IOC), was kidnapped by unknown miscreants from Koirengei for a ransom money of 1 crore made to the corporation and was released on the morning of January 23.
On the same night an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) rocked though the heart of Imphal at Telipati which is located just a kilometre away from the chief minister’s official residence.
On January 22, several rounds of gunfire broke the silence of the peaceful evening when Imphal West police commandos open fire in hot pursue at two miscreants. Again on the same day a man was found shot dead near a canal under Lamsang police station in Imphal West.
As is the wont, on January 20 the permanent body of MPLF issued a press release saying Manipur became a republic with the formation of a popular government through adult franchise under the Manipur State Constitution Act 1948 and that the State was annexed through “treachery and deceit” on October 15 by the Indian Union in contravention to the wishes of the people by having king Bodhchandra sign Merger Agreement under duress in Shillong in 1949.
The consortium of the banned outfits, including Kangleipak Communist Party-Military Council (KCP-MC), have warned the people not to venture out in observance of the day; all business activities and transport services including flight service are advice to suspend their function on the day, however, media, medical and religious services are exempted from the purview of the boycott.
“Anybody defying the ban on participation in Republic Day celebration would be viewed as supporters of the alien rule,” a release from KCP-MC said.
Given the situation, the government of Manipur has beefed up security arrangement across the four valley districts to pre-empt any eventual strike from the banned underground outfits boycotting the day. Checking and frisking in strategic locations in Imphal city has become the norm thereby causing inconveniences to motorists and jaywalkers.
Despite this, security forces have not been able to prevent major disasters from happening within the four districts. For instance, on January 21 night, K.I Singh, a senior divisional manager (retail sales) of Indian Oil Corporation (IOC), was kidnapped by unknown miscreants from Koirengei for a ransom money of 1 crore made to the corporation and was released on the morning of January 23.
On the same night an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) rocked though the heart of Imphal at Telipati which is located just a kilometre away from the chief minister’s official residence.
On January 22, several rounds of gunfire broke the silence of the peaceful evening when Imphal West police commandos open fire in hot pursue at two miscreants. Again on the same day a man was found shot dead near a canal under Lamsang police station in Imphal West.
