Imphal: Normal life in Manipur was disrupted on Monday following an 18-hour total shutdown called by several armed rebel groups to boycott India’s 77th Republic Day celebrations.
The outfits said the boycott marked their opposition to Manipur’s merger with the Indian Union in 1949.
At least eight underground outfits, including the Coordination Committee (CorCom)—an umbrella body of six banned groups—the Alliance for Socialist Unity, Kangleipak (ASUK), and the outlawed Socialist Revolutionary Party of Kangleipak (SOREPA), jointly enforced the shutdown from 12 noon on January 25 to 6 pm on January 26.
Road connectivity between Manipur and the rest of the country was severely affected during the bandh, although flight services operated normally under tight security arrangements. A heavy deployment of security personnel, including central armed police forces and Manipur women police, was witnessed across Imphal, particularly around venues of the state-level Republic Day celebrations.
Normal life, especially in the valley districts, remained largely paralysed as shops, markets and business establishments stayed closed in most areas amid fears of reprisals. Traffic movement thinned sharply across the state, with most commercial vehicles, including long- and short-distance passenger services, remaining off the roads.
Major highways, including national highways, recorded minimal vehicular movement, while streets in the state capital and district headquarters wore a deserted look, broken only by security convoys and a few private vehicles.
All fuel pumps in the valley districts remained closed for the day in response to repeated appeals issued by the underground outfits.
Essential services, including electricity and water supply, medical and fire services, as well as religious rituals and marriage ceremonies, were exempted from the shutdown.
No untoward incident related to the bandh was reported from any part of the state, police officials said.