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Manipur: On Monday, an officials said that at least 13 people died in a gun-battle between two groups of militants in Tengnoupal district of Manipur. They added that the incident happened at Leithu village on Monday afternoon. An official in the hill district said, “A group of militants on their way to Myanmar were ambushed by another group of insurgents dominant in the area.”
He also said that Security forces reaching the spot found 13 bodies so far. He added that their identities were yet to be ascertained but they appeared not to be locals. Tengnoupal district shares a porous border with Myanmar.
Meanwhile, the Manipur government on Sunday restored mobile internet services across the state barring a few areas till 18 December, a notification said. However, the ban would continue in border areas of nine districts, officials said. The withdrawal of the ban on mobile internet services would be effective till December 18 (Monday).
Mobile Internet was first banned in Manipur seven month ago after the ethnic violence between non-tribal Meitei and tribal Kuki-Zo communities broke out on May 3. Since then, the ban has been extended after every five days.
In a notification on Sunday, Manipur Commissioner, Home, T Ranjit Singh said that state government has decided to relax the suspension of internet/mobile data, and MMS services in the territorial jurisdiction of state except for the mobile towers catering to the stretch of of the two km radius along adjoining areas between districts of Chandel, Kakching, Churachandpur, Bishnupur, Kangpokpi, Imphal West, Imphal East, Thoubal and Tengnoupal.
The notification read, “…..considering the prevailing law and order situation which is reportedly improving in the past few days and inconveniences faced by the general public due to the long duration of such suspension, the state government took this decision.” The government has asked all mobile service providers to ensure compliance with this order and requested all internet users to desist from such activities which may lead to suspension of internet services in future.
Internet restrictions in the district headquarters of Ukhrul, Senapati, Chandel and Tamenglong, after the Manipur High Court on November 6 directed the state government to resume mobile internet services in all those district headquarters on a trial basis. Was removed. Who have not been affected by caste violence. In view of the state government’s steps to resume mobile internet services in four hill district headquarters, the All Naga Students’ Association, Manipur (ANSAM) had on November 9 announced withdrawal of the economic blockade from the highways.
After the situation largely normalized, the internet ban was lifted on 23 September, but it was lifted again on 26 September after hundreds of students clashed with security forces after pictures of bodies of two missing students were circulated on social media.
