Manipur violence: The Manipur government on Tuesday extended the suspension of Internet services across the state till May 20. An order issued by the Home Department of Manipur said that police communication shows that there are still reports of arson of houses along with incidents of fighting between volunteers and youths from dominant communities living in the state. There is apprehension that some inimical elements may use social media extensively for transmission of images, hate speech and indecent video messages to inflame public passions.
It is necessary to stop the planning and activities of anti-social elements.
Adequate measures to maintain law and order, to thwart the plans and activities of seditious and anti-social elements and to maintain peace and communal harmony and to prevent any damage or danger to public or private property, the order said. It has become necessary to do Meanwhile, the Center and the state government told the Supreme Court that a status report has been filed and the situation in the state has improved. There were some issues on the state border and it is important to maintain peace. Solicitor General Tushar Mehta told the Supreme Court that the intention was to restore peace in the state. He says that a total of 315 relief camps run by the district police and CAPFs have been set up. The state government has sanctioned a contingency fund of Rs 3 crore for relief measures. SG Mehta says that so far around 46,000 people have got help.
Complaint numbers issued for rumour-free Manipur
Manipur Security Advisor Kuldeep Singh said, “We have introduced a phone number (9485280461) for ‘rumour-free Manipur’ so that anyone in doubt about the veracity of any rumor or incident can dial this number. Needed Mobile internet services were banned in the state on 3 May, while all other types of internet, including broadband, were banned on 4 May. Overall, the situation in Manipur remained peaceful on Tuesday with no major reports of violence.
At least 73 people have lost their lives in the violent clashes in the state so far, besides 230 others have been injured. Over 1,700 houses were gutted after they were torched by the miscreants.
