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Imphal: In a significant move, the Manipur government on Tuesday imposed prohibitory orders under CrPC Section 144 in Churachandpur district for two months following fresh reports of sporadic violence in the tribal-dominated district. Section 144 has been imposed from December 18 and will continue till Feb 18, 2024.
The prohibitory orders came after a tribal body announced that it would conduct a mass burial of tribal people killed during the ethnic clashes on Tuesday.
These curbs come on the heels of an announcement by the Indigenous Tribal Leader’s Forum (ITFL), a significant tribal entity in Churachandpur, declaring a mass burial for over 60 deceased tribal individuals who lost their lives during recent ethnic clashes in the state.
These measures are aimed at maintaining public order and ensuring the safety of citizens in the area.
The extension of Section 144 underscores the government’s commitment to restoring peace and preventing any further untoward incidents.
Bodies of 64 people who died in the violence were handed over to their families on Thursday. The bodies were kept in government mortuaries since early May.
Manipur reports fresh violence
More than 150 people have lost their lives and over 3,000 injured since ethnic violence broke out on May 3 when a ‘Tribal Solidarity March’ was organised in the hill districts to protest against the Meitei community’s demand for Scheduled Tribe (ST) status.
Around 40,000 central security personnel, besides the Manipur Police, were deployed to control the violence and bring back normalcy in the state.
In August, the Supreme Court constituted a committee of three former high court judges to look into relief and rehabilitation in the state.
The committee’s report said that only 81 bodies had been claimed out of the total deaths during the violence.
In November, the court directed the Manipur government to facilitate the burial or cremation of the bodies that had been identified and remained unclaimed in morgues by December
