Before the Independence Day celebrations in Manipur, security was beefed up to a higher level

Officials claimed that additional security precautions were taken in Manipur on Sunday as a response to the fact that many banned organizations located in the Imphal valley had called for a strike on Independence Day. According to the police, security officers launched search operations in potentially dangerous places throughout five districts, where they found weapons and ammunition.

All throughout the state, preparations for the Independence Day festivities are well underway, with personnel from the Border Security Force, the police, and the Assam Rifles, as well as students, participating in rehearsals for the march past that will take place on August 15.

 

“On Saturday, rehearsals for the Independence Day festivities were conducted at Peace Ground in the Tuiboung region of Churachandpur district. An official said that there were a total of twenty-one parade contingents that took part in the preparations. These contingents were comprised of BSF, police, students, and Assam Rifles.

 

In addition, preparations for the celebration of Independence Day on August 15 are also under way in the capital city of Imphal, where temporary gates and hoardings are currently being installed. “Security measures have been significantly heightened after several militant outfits called for a strike on I-Day,” another official added. “I-Day” stands for Independence Day.

 

On the day of Independence Day (I Day), many illegal organizations, such as the Coordinating Committee (Corcom), called for a national strike that would go from one in the morning until 6.30 in the evening. The United National Liberation Front (UNLF), the People’s Liberation Army (PLA), and PREPAK are all members of the terrorist organization Corcom, which is on the banned list.

 

Separately, two further outlawed organizations in Manipur have called for a shutdown on August 15. “Search operations were conducted in the fringe and vulnerable areas of Imphal-West, Imphal-East, Thoubal, Bishnupur, and Churachandpur districts by the state police and central security forces and recovered 12 arms, six ammunitions, and eight explosives,” the Manipur Police stated on Twitter. “Search operations were conducted by the state police and central security forces.”

 

Notably, more than 160 people have been killed and several hundred have been wounded since the ethnic riots broke out in Manipur on May 3. The violence began after a ‘Tribal Solidarity March’ was organized in the hill regions to protest against the Meitei community’s quest for Scheduled Tribe (ST) status. The March was organized in response to the Meitei community’s demand for ST status.

 

The Meitei people make up around 53% of Manipur’s population and the majority of them are found in the Imphal Valley. A bit more than 40 percent of the population is comprised of tribal people, mostly Nagas and Kukis, and they live in the hill areas.