MANIPUR: The state administration of Manipur has suspended mobile internet service for five days to address the deteriorating law and order situation that has arisen as a result of tribal groups holding rallies in many districts. A night curfew has also been implemented in a number of the state's districts in addition to the prohibition of big gatherings.
The Army and Assam Rifles were reportedly sent in to handle the situation. A curfew has been enforced due to the circumstances in the tribally dominant Churachandpur, Kangpokpi, and Tengnoupal districts as well as the non-tribal Imphal West, Kakching, Thoubal, Jiribam, and Bishnupur districts. With immediate effect, mobile internet services were shut down throughout the state for five days, but broadband services continued to run.
The All Tribals Students Union (ATSU) Manipur organised a rally in opposition to the demand for the inclusion of Meitei/Meetei in the ST category, and as a result, there were fights between youths and volunteers from various communities. As a result, the Manipur government issued a statement stating that "Internet services in Manipur were suspended for five days."
The ST tribal community has erupted in anger following the Manipur High Court's recent directive to the State Government to consider include Meitei in ST. Why were a curfew and the suspension of internet services in Manipur?
Due to violence during a tribal movement on Wednesday, curfew was enforced in eight districts of Manipur and mobile internet services were shut down throughout the whole northeastern state.
Violence broke out during the "Tribal Solidarity March" organised by the All Tribal Student Union Manipur (ATSUM) in the Churachandpur district's Torbung neighbourhood to oppose the non-tribal Meiteis' quest for Scheduled Tribe (ST) designation because they predominate in the Imphal Valley. Thousands of tribal people, who make up around 40% of the state's population, marched in the procession, held signs, and sang anti-ST slogans.
The Valley, which makes up around a tenth of the former princely state's land area, is home to the Meiteis, who make up 53% of the state's population. They assert that "large-scale illegal immigration by Myanmarese and Bangladeshis" is the cause of their issues.
Many laws protect the Nagas and Kukis who make up the majority of the population in the hill districts, which make up a large portion of the state's land mass.
The movement to include Meiteis in the ST category is being led by the Scheduled Tribe Demand Committee Manipur (STDCM), which stated that the demand is being made "more to protect our ancestral land, culture, and identity," which they claimed was "threatened by illegal migration from Myanmar, Bangladesh, and by people from outside the state."
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