Internet suspended in 5 Manipur valley districts

Imphal: The Manipur government on Tuesday evening issued an amended order, stating that the suspension of internet services in the wake of intensified agitation by students applies only to the state's five valley districts. Earlier, the state government had issued a notification for suspension of internet services in the entire state for five days.

Tails of sophisticated rockets have been recovered after recent drone and hi-tech missile attacks in Manipur, a top police officer said on Tuesday. Manipur Police dismissed the claims of Lt. Gen P C Nair, a retired DG of Assam Rifles, in a recent media interview that no drones or rockets have been used in the attacks. He had also labelled Manipur Police as a "Meitei Police", indicating their alleged partisan role in the ethnic strife. Speaking to reporters, IGP (Administration) K Jayanta Singh said, "The statement is an immature one and seems to be his personal view and not of the force (Assam Rifles). We strongly dismiss it.

Over 40 students were injured on Tuesday following clashes with security forces when they attempted to march towards the Raj Bhavan in Imphal to press for their demands to remove the DGP and security advisor to the state government, police said.

Slamming Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the situation in Manipur, Congress Tuesday alleged he allowed the state to "go up in flames" and said he travels all over the globe engaging in "hugplomacy" but cannot find time to visit the violence-hit state.

Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh said democracy is a tall order and the rule of law itself has fallen apart in the state. "Here is the non-biological PM telling the people of Manipur that he will do in 15 months what the Congress couldn't do in 15 years," Ramesh said .

The Centre has directed deployment of two fresh CRPF battalions comprising about 2,000 personnel for security duties in ethnic strife-torn Manipur, official sources said Tuesday. The battalion number 58 is being moved from Warangal in Telangana while the one numbered 112 is being sent from Latehar in Jharkhand. The first unit will have its headquarter in Kangvai (Churachandpur) in Manipur while the second will be stationed around Imphal, the sources told PTI. They said the move has been ordered following the withdrawal of two Assam Rifles battalions from Manipur for operational duties in Jammu and Kashmir and some other parts of the Northeast.