Manipur rocked by more violence, curfew imposed

Manipur remained tense on Sunday as violence continued over the arrest of an influential Meitei outfit member, prompting authorities to reimpose restrictions and the governor to conduct a security review, officials aware of the matter said.

- Thomas Ngangom and Prawesh Lama

A day after clashes rocked Imphal, protesters defied prohibitory orders and blocked major roads in different parts of the state capital by burning debris and tyres, the officials said. A police post outside the SDM office was also torched in Yairipok, which is located on the Imphal East and Thoubal district border, they said and added that security personnel were forced to use tear gas shells to disperse the crowd. At least 11 people have been injured in the fresh wave of unrest.

"People dug up roads and burnt tyres at important stretches to prevent the movement of security forces. A road in Koirengi was blocked to stop BSF personnel from entering the city. But the forces within the city are in large numbers, and the situation is under control," a security officer said on condition of anonymity.

The trigger for the latest wave of violence is the arrest of Kanan Singh, a senior member of the Meitei body Arambai Tenggol, and the detention of four of his associates. In a statement on Sunday, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) said that it arrested Singh, a former Manipur Police head constable, over his "involvement" in the violence in the state in 2023.

"He was involved in various criminal activities related to Manipur violence in 2023...He has been brought from Imphal to Guwahati, and he will be produced before the competent court for police remand," the agency said. There was no immediate information about the identities of the other four men, with officials aware of the matter saying that they will be released if they come clean in the background check.