Manipur: Shutdown over alleged abduction hits life in Imphal Valley

Imphal

Normal life was affected across Manipur’s Imphal Valley on Wednesday following a shutdown called by a citizens’ group over the alleged abduction of two Meitei youths by Kuki extremists on September 27.

The 48-hour shutdown by the Joint Action Committee (JAC) spread from Thoubal on Tuesday, one of the five districts in the valley, as shops and commercial establishments remained closed, and demonstrators blocked the streets. Women occupied the roads in many areas while the youth burnt tyres to prevent the movement of vehicles.

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“The agitation will continue until the youths are released,” JAC convenor L. Subol told journalists.

Three young men on a two-wheeler rode into an area controlled by Kuki extremists while on their way for a recruitment test to join the armed forces. Instead of going to Imphal West district’s New Keithelmanbi, a Meitei-dominated area, they entered the Kuki-majority Keithelmanbi area in the Kangpokpi district. It is not clear how one of the three hostages escaped from the captors.