IMPHAL: Shop owners in Mayang Imphal Bangoon Maning, Imphal West district, shut down their shops and protested against mounting monetary demands from several organisations and the recent abduction of six civilians, three of whom are minors, in Jiribam.
The demonstration has been carried out under the aegis of the Mayang Imphal Bangoon Maning Dukan Committee.
Secretary of the committee, Phundreimayum Tamijur Rahaman, addressed the media while taking them into confidence regarding the sufferings of shopkeepers amid Manipur's continued agitation. "The current agitation has completely crashed all businesses here, and now shopkeepers are in a very precarious situation," he said.
"Our community has been providing support to IDPs as much as possible, but these relentless monetary demands have pushed us to the edge," Rahaman stated. He appealed to organizations behind these demands to reconsider their decision as the already struggling shopkeepers cannot bear additional financial burdens.
The protest also demanded and voiced solidarity with six abducted civilians in Jiribam. Rahaman condemned the incident of abduction by Kuki militants of six individuals, including three minors. "It is a symptom of growing state lawlessness which must be taken care of immediately by the government to ensure the safety of the victims," he said.
Describing the series of incidents as "attacks on Manipur," Rahaman called for decisive action on the 18 months of governance and law enforcement failure in the state, which has set free such incidents to multiply. "The crisis at Manipur demands an all-round solution. It is a must for all communities to come together and restore peace," he said.
The protest highlighted the fact that shopkeepers are facing two hectic crises at the same time : one economic instability severe in nature and another monetary demands from unconscionable quarters. This kind of crises deserves a very urgent peace solution to this crisis in Manipur.
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