Life paralysed in two Manipur districts as tribal bodies call indefinite shutdown

 IMPHAL: Normal life in Manipur's tribal-dominated districts of Churachandpur and Kangpokpi continued to remain paralyzed for the second day on Tuesday as the women's wing of the Indigenous Tribals' Leaders Forum (ITLF) and the Committee on Tribal Unity (COTU) enforced the indefinite shutdown in their respective districts to protest the arrest of Kuki-Zo tribals by the CBI. However, the two-day shutdown called by the ITLF, which began on Monday morning in Churachandpur district to protest against the arrest of four Kuki-Zo people by the CBI in connection with the killing of two young students, ended on Tuesday evening.

The women's wing of ITLF and COTU have been protesting against what they termed the "arbitrary arrest of four persons and detention of two minors by the CBI over the alleged abduction and murder of two teenaged students" from Imphal and another individual on charges of transnational conspiracy.

Members of the ITLF women's wing ensured all streets in Churachandpur wore a deserted look as shutters of all shops and other establishments were down. Market places witnessed no activity, and government offices saw no attendance while banks and educational institutions remained closed, the police said. Rebecca, an ITLF women's wing activist who was leading the enforcement of the shutdown, justified the shutdown and alleged discrimination between communities.

While several cases of rape and killing of Kuki-Zo people are not looked into, including the sexual assault on the two Kuki ladies and the burning alive of a mother and son in an ambulance, the case of the alleged murder of the two Meitei students was swiftly investigated by the CBI, which even 'arrested' six persons, including two minors, she said. Both the agitating organisations appealed to the central agencies to release the detainees without conditions.

She further urged the CBI not to act in haste under political pressure but to act professionally and arrest those who are responsible for all the crimes committed during the ethnic conflict without looking at communities or religion. She added that the agitators will keep demanding justice in all the cases of crime against the Kuki-Zo people. (IANS)

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