UAPA slapped against 5 in Manipur; bandh in Imphal

The Manipur police have invoked stringent Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act and Official Secrets Act against the five men whose arrest on Saturday led to violence outside a police station in Imphal valley, people familiar with the matter said on Tuesday.

- Prawesh Lama

Officials familiar with the matter said that the two weapons - an INSAS rifle and a selfloading rifle- and 128 rounds of ammunition recovered from the five men were looted from police armouries in the initial days of ethnic strife in May and June.

Meanwhile, a complete shutdown was observed in Imphal valley on Tuesday demanding the release of the five men, who had donned military uniforms to impersonate security forces personnel at the time of their arrest and one of whom has since been identified as a 45-year-old former cadre of banned insurgent outfit People's Liberation Army (PLA) of Manipur.