Manipur Suspends Internet Services, Including VPN, Till Sept 15 Amid Violence and Student Protests

The government of Manipur declared a five-day ban on the internet across the state amid growing unrest and student-led protests. The ban would come into force at 3 pm on September 10 and would continue till September 15. The order by the Home Department also ordered suspension of mobile data, lease lines, VSATs, broadband, and VPN services. Authorities cited the possibility of the social media being used by "anti-social elements" to facilitate public unrest through inflammatory material, hate speech, and false rumors.

Government of Manipur temporarily suspends internet and mobile data in the state for five days from 3 pm today till 3 pm on 15th September. pic.twitter.com/nWQbR1heMX

— ANI (@ANI) September 10, 2024

Safety Measures and Schools Closure

Besides the internet ban, the government announced that all schools and colleges in Manipur will be closed on September 11 and 12 as protests are continuing to paralyse public life. The Home Department seemed to justify the actions, cautioning about potential threat to life and property as well as communal harmony.

Student Protests Intensify

Hundreds of students from various schools and colleges joined in Khwairamband Women's Market, Imphal, on September 10 to protest against recent drone and missile attacks to demand appropriate action and protection of the state's territorial and administrative integrity. But students protesting against the attacks at the Indo-Myanmar border were stopped by the security forces as they tried to march towards Raj Bhavan. Skirmishes ensued between the security force personnel and students and women protesters. Tear gas shells were fired as students and women protesters surged forward to confront the security forces.

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Students at Manipur University were also seen protesting by burning an effigy of the Union Home Minister Amit Shah as a mark of protest. The government responded with imposing curfew in the districts of Imphal East and West, and prohibitory orders under Section 163 (2) of BNSS were issued in Thoubal to contain the situation.

Recent Violence and Ongoing Conflict In Manipur

The protests are part of a broader heightening of violence in Manipur, an Indian state that has been destabilized by ethnic clashes between the Meitei community in the Imphal Valley and the Kuki-Zo groups living in the hills. Fighting that began in May 2023 has so far resulted in more than 200 deaths and displaced thousands.

Recent incidents have only injected fuel into the already inflamed situation. On September 6, a rocket-propelled grenade attack in Moirang, Bishnupur district, killed one person offering puja at the home of Manipur's first chief minister. The blast also caused extensive damage to the area, with no casualties. In this fresh wave of violence, eight persons were killed and over 12 wounded; there were drone and missile attacks, too.

Demonstrators are insisting on the sacking of Manipur's DGP and the state's security adviser, as they hold these two responsible for the collapse of the rule of law in the wake of the current conflict.

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