Imphal: People defied curfew orders in Greater Imphal as a sit-in demonstration entered third day on Saturday.
The protestors, mostly women and young people, want the government to introduce Inner Line Permit System that regulates outsiders’ entry into the northeastern Indian state.
ILPS is a travel permit introduced by British in 1873 for outsiders and is in force in Arunachal Pradesh, Mizoram and Nagaland in the northeast region.
Unlike the protests on previous days, the situation in the trouble-torn state capital remained calm but hectic as authorities’ relaxed curfew for five hours from 5 am. Thousands of people, living under the curfew since Wednesday afternoon, came out to buy essential commodities, including vegetables, which were being sold at exorbitant prices.
Manipur has been witnessing widespread agitations under the initiative of Joint Committee on the ILPS which is demanding that the Manipur Regulation of Visitors, Tenants & Migrant Workers Bill, 2015, passed in the last assembly, be replaced with a new one to protect the interests of indigenous people and regulate influx of outsiders. They even called a 19-hour shutdown on Tuesday.
On Wednesday, a Class 12 student Sapam Robinhood, 16, of Imphal’s Ananda Higher Secondary Academy was killed in police action during a protest march. The incident forced authorities to impose an indefinite curfew in the greater Imphal area from 4pm onwards besides closing down all the educational institutions.
Life has come to a grinding halt since then in Manipur, particularly in the state capital, as the curfew continues.
Considering the unrest in Imphal, the Manipur assembly discussed the ILPS issue with an active participation of both ruling and opposition members on the last two days of the budget session on Thursday and Friday.
On the concluding day, Manipur chief minister O Ibobi Singh assured the House of 60 members that the government is ready to hold talks with the agitating group, The Hindustan Times reported.
“We cannot solve the issue without any talks. The government has no reservation in bringing out a new bill. There will be complete transparency,” Singh had said.
The CM had also said that his government will lift the curfew and reopen educational institutions if the situation improves.