Manipur govt seeks withdrawal of AFSPA amid escalating violence
Imphal: The Manipur government has urged the Centre to review and revoke the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act (AFSPA), a contentious law granting extensive powers to security forces, recently reinstated in six police station jurisdictions of the state, media reports said.
The Ministry of Home Affairs reimposed AFSPA on November 14 in areas under Sekmai and Lamsang police stations in Imphal West, Lamlai in Imphal East, Moirang in Bishnupur, Leimakhong in Kangpokpi, and Jiribam in Jiribam district.
According to an NDTV report, protesters attempted to storm Chief Minister N. Biren Singh's residence on Saturday evening, escalating tensions further. Security forces responded by firing tear gas to disperse the mob.
The Centre has deployed additional security forces and pledged firm action against violence from both sides.
However, calls for peace are yet to quell the mounting unrest.
Since May last year, Manipur has witnessed inter-communal clashes that have claimed over 250 lives and displaced approximately 60,000 people.
The violence stems from disputes over government grants and quotas in jobs and education, leaving the state divided over ethnic claims of land ownership and rights—Meiteis controlling the valley and Kukis dominating the hills.
Fresh unrest erupted on Saturday after the discovery of six bodies, including that of an eight-month-old infant, in a river in Jiribam.
The victims, allegedly kidnapped earlier in the week, had gone missing after a gunfight in which 10 armed Kuki men were killed by security forces.
Over the past 24 hours, mobs targeted the residences of several other lawmakers.
In one incident, protesters attacked the home of MLA Sapam Nishikant Singh, damaging the gate and bunkers.
Another group stormed the residence of MLA RK Imo in Imphal West’s Sagolband, setting furniture on fire and smashing windows, according to the report.
Protests also erupted in Imphal’s Khwairamband Keithel against the kidnapping and murder of the six victims.
The bodies were discovered near a river in the remote Jirimukh village in Jiribam district, close to the Manipur-Assam border, on Friday evening.
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