More than 40 students injured in Manipur in clashes with forces

Guwahati: At least 40 students were injured on Tuesday after they clashed with security forces in an attempt to march towards the Raj Bhavan in Imphal to press for their demands for removal of DGP and security advisor to the state government, police said.

The agitators shouted slogans and pelted security personnel with stones and glass marble balls, forcing them to disperse them, an official said.

Despite the curfew clamped in Imphal East and West districts, protests erupted as students from Manipur University tried to march towards Raj Bhavan. They burnt effigies of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union home minister Amit Shah and security advisor Kuldip Singh in front of the university's main gate.


The protest rally, organised by the COCOMI Students' Front, proceeded from the Manipur University campus along the Imphal-Moreh highway, and headed towards Singjamei.

Students protested inside Imphal's IMA Market and locked themselves inside the market. They issued a 24-hour deadline to the governor to respond before taking further action. Security forces, who cordoned off the area, have tried to convince the students but with no success yet.

When the rally reached Kakwa area, tension escalated when security forces intervened to prevent them from proceeding. Despite attempts to control the crowd, the situation intensified, and police resorted to firing tear gas shells to disperse the protesters.

Several students have set up camp at Imphal's iconic IMA market, Asia's biggest women-run market, demanding action from Manipur governor Lakshman Prasad Acharya on the escalation of violence in Manipur. Their key demands include safeguarding the state's territorial integrity and addressing the ongoing violence.

Considering the tense situation, the state government has suspended internet services for five days in five districts. Colleges and schools have been closed till Thursday. The Manipur University has postponed all PG and UG exams.

The Centre has also directed deployment of two more CRPF battalions comprising about 2,000 personnel for security duties in ethnic strife-torn Manipur, official sources said.