IMPHAL: Shutdown called by various groups on Saturday to mark two years of the ethnic strife in Manipur affected normal lives in both the Maitei-controlled Imphal Valley and the Kuki-dominated hill districts.
The Meitei group Coordinating Committee on Manipur Integrity (COCOMI) called a shutdown in the valley districts, while the Zomi Students Federation (ZSF) and the Kuki Students Organisation (KSO) have imposed the shutdown in the hill districts.
It was on this day in 2023 that ethnic clashes broke out between the Meteis and Kukis, which left over 260 persons dead, 1,500 injured, and over 70,000 people displaced, according to officials.
Markets were shut, public vehicles remained off the roads, and private offices remained closed across the state. A few private vehicles were seen on the roads in the morning.
Schools, colleges and other institutes were also shut.
Security forces have also been deployed at key locations to prevent any unwanted activities, officials said.
COCOMI will hold ‘Manipur Peoples’ Convention’ at Khuman Lampak Stadium in Imphal. It has urged the people to attend the public meeting in large numbers.
A candlelight march will also be held in the evening in Imphal to pay homage to those who died in the violence.
The Kuki community in the hill districts of Churachandpur and Kangpokpi districts are observing ‘Day of Separation’, demanding a separate territory.
A programme is scheduled at the ‘Wall of Remembrance’, which has been built in Churachandpur town in memory of those killed in the ethnic violence. Another programme is scheduled at the Sehken Burial site, where some of the Kuki people killed in the violence have been buried.