Manipur: 50+ Students Injured as Enraged Protestors Hit the Streets in Imphal

As the students marched towards Raj Bhavan, they were met by security forces who fired tear gas to repel them.

Security forces fire tear gas to repel protesting students in Imphal.

(Photo: PTI)

Over 50 students have been injured in Manipur's capital Imphal as protests erupted over the Biren Singh-led government's inaction in the face of renewed hostilities between the Meiteis and Kukis that have claimed at least 10 lives.

The injured students are being treated at the Regional Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS) in Imphal.

The protests commenced on the night of 8 September led by huge groups of women brandishing flaming torches. The student protests began the next morning.

Reportedly, the slogans being used by the protestors are:

GO BACK ALL THE PARAMILITARY FORCES, THE MUTE SPECTATORS!

SECURITY ADVISOR AND DGP, MUST RESIGN ON MORAL GROUNDS!

DOWN DOWN CENTRAL GOVERNMENT!

DOWN DOWN STATE GOVERNMENT, THE PURPET GOVERNMENT!

ACT NOW OR RESIGN ON MORAL GROUNDS, DEAR 50 MLA PUPPETS!

MISSILES, DRONE BOMBINGS, KILLINGS AND BURNINGS, MANIPUR HAS HAD ENOUGH!

As the students marched towards Raj Bhavan (where instances of stone pelting were reported), they were met by security forces who fired tear gas to repel them.

The internet has been snapped in the five Valley districts: Imphal West, Imphal East, Thoubal, Bishnupur, and Kakching.

An indefinite curfew has been imposed in three districts: Imphal West, Imphal East, and Thoubal.

One video showed angry protestors tearing down a billboard featuring PM Modi. Another showed them burning cars and smashing police barricades.

Manipur has been rocked by gun violence and attacks using rockets, drones, and bombs in the last 10 days. Detailed reports of these attacks that took place 1, 2, and 6 September can be read here and here.

For more than a year, Manipur has been torn apart by ethnic violence. Hundreds have died, and thousands have been displaced, with their future still uncertain. The Quint has been relentlessly reporting on the conflict in pursuit of facts, untold stories, and the truth. Apart from the risks involved in reporting from a conflict-ridden area, such reports require both time and resources. YOUR support helps us in our endeavour.