NORMAL LIFE in the Northeastern state of Manipur remained affected for the third consecutive day due to the 120-hour general strike and the indefinite economic blockade called by two separate student organisations over different demands since July 15 midnight.
Democratic Students’ Alliance of Manipur (DESAM) has imposed the 120-hour state wide bandh demanding release of the student leaders arrested and detained under National Security Act in the aftermath of murder of Prof Md Islamuddin, the Proctor of Manipur University. The All Tribal Students’ Union, Manipur (ATSUM) went ahead with the indefinite economic blockade in connection with its demands to amend the Manipur Reservation of Vacancies in Post and Services (For SC and ST) Act, 2007 and select suitable site for setting up the proposed campus of Indira Gandhi National Tribal University among others.
Though DESAM has announced shortening of the general strike to 72 hours in the interest of the upcoming compartmentary examinations of CBSE and Manipur Board, ATSUM has threatened to take recourse to more intense agitations if the state government fails a positive response to its demand.
Even as another 12-hour general strike called by the Indigenous Democratic Front (IDF), which is demanding early election to the Autonomous District Councils crippled normal activities in the hill districts from 6 am to 6 pm, Naga frontal organisations including United Naga Council (UNC); All Naga Students’ Association, Manipur (ANSAM), Naga Women Union, Manipur (NWUM) and Naga Peoples’ Movement for Human Rights (NPMHR) have jointly resolved to call a 48-hour total bandh with effect from 5 am of July 20, to oppose the State Cabinet decision of deploying IRB personnel and Police Commandos in the hill districts.
With exception to some stray incidents of targeting autorickshaw drivers by suspected bandh, supporters in some areas of Greater Imphal area, there is no report of any untoward incidents. However, with prolonged bandh and blockade that has cut off the transportation line between this land-locked state with other parts of the country from where most of the essential commodities are brought in, prices of goods in markets has soared up leaving the people, who are already reeling under the impact of long dry spell and crop failure, high and dry literally.