Thousands create a clamor in Manipur valleys to protest government inaction
Across Manipur’s five valley districts, thousands staged a “noise protest” by banging utensils and sounding horns to denounce the state’s handling of the ethnic conflict.
A civil-society group, the Federation of Haomee, mobilised thousands of people in Manipur’s five valley districts for a “noise protest” on Friday evening, instructing participants to create loud sounds from 7:30 pm to 8 pm. Residents banged kitchen utensils, struck electric poles, beat drums, honked vehicle horns and shouted slogans in locations including Imphal’s Kangla Fort and the chief minister’s constituency of Singjamei.
Security forces fired tear-gas shells at the historic Kangla Fort, though no one was hurt. Authorities blocked protesters from entering the fort and halted several groups at nearby junctions. The crowd demanded the rollout of the National Register of Citizens, the identification of illegal immigrants and the termination of the Suspension of Operations pact with insurgent groups, while condemning the government’s failure to resolve the ongoing ethnic violence.
Why it matters
The protest highlights deepening public frustration with the government's handling of Manipur's ethnic conflict and security policies.
In this story
Related stories
2 in this thread