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Internet services have been shut down for five days in five districts in India's northeastern state of Manipur, effective from Saturday night. The police have issued a curfew in one district and prohibitory orders in four other districts prohibiting people from gathering and demonstrating.
File photo: Security personnel holding back protesting students in Manipur state during last year's Assay. Photo: AFP
On Saturday night, there was a demonstration in the capital Imphal after the news that Kanan Singh, a prominent leader of the Maitei caste volunteer organization 'Arambai Tengol-AT', had been arrested by the police. The Indian Express mentioned that the protestors burned tires on the road and blocked the road.
VSAT and VPN services have also been blocked in some areas of Imphal. Manipur Home Commissioner N Ashok Kumar has said that this step has been taken because some anti-social elements are using social media excessively to spread pictures, hateful expressions and hateful video messages and this is spreading excitement in the society and making it difficult to implement the law.
Indian media has reported a clash between protestors and security forces in Kwakeithel area, in which many people were injured . Violence also spread in Manipur last May and even then there was a ban on mobile, internet. Although this ban was lifted on September 23, the government again banned the Internet after the protests and demonstrations that started soon after.
Manipur has a long history of communal violence and protests. In 1993, there was communal violence between the Nagas and the Kukis. To stop it, the then government imposed President's rule in Manipur. So far, Manipur has had a history of ten times President's rule.
The last time was in 2001 when the then state government lost its majority in the assembly, President's rule was implemented.
