Curfew imposed and Internet suspended in 7 Manipur districts after 6 found dead in violence

A curfew has been imposed in Imphal West and Imphal East districts, and internet services have been suspended in seven districts of Manipur following the discovery of six bodies, including three women and three children, in the violence-hit state. The bodies were found in Jiribam district, a region along the Manipur-Assam border, on Friday evening, prompting large-scale protests and violent outbreaks across the Imphal Valley.

The protests have escalated into widespread violence, with mobs storming the residences of several local Members of the Legislative Assembly (MLAs) and causing extensive property damage. The homes of MLA Sapam Nishikant Singh and MLA RK Imo were targeted, with gates destroyed, windows shattered, and furniture set on fire.

The six victims, including the women and children, had been missing since Monday, following a gunfight between militants and security forces in Jiribam. Meitei organizations allege that the victims were abducted by militants, though the authorities are still investigating the circumstances of their deaths. The bodies were found near a river in the remote village of Jirimukh, and their identities were confirmed through a postmortem conducted at Assam's Silchar Medical College Hospital.

The abductions followed an attack on a police station in Borobekra on November 11, which was foiled by security forces. The militants, however, allegedly kidnapped the six individuals from a nearby relief camp during their retreat. Authorities are currently conducting a massive search operation to locate those responsible.

The state has been in a state of unrest for more than a year and a half due to ethnic clashes between the Meitei community, which predominates in the Imphal Valley, and the Kuki-Zo groups from the adjoining hills. The violence reached Jiribam, a district that had remained relatively peaceful, after the discovery of a farmer’s mutilated body earlier this year.

In response to the escalating violence, the Centre reimposed the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) in six police station areas of Manipur, including Jiribam, in an effort to control the situation. The state government has also declared a holiday for schools and colleges, and curfews have been enforced in the affected districts. The death toll in the ongoing ethnic violence has now surpassed 200, with thousands displaced from their homes.