Manipur Violence News: AFSPA Imposed 6 Months Starting 1 Oct, Meitei Dominated Areas Excluded

(MENAFN- Live Mint) "Manipur has again been placed under the stringent armed forces (Special Powers) Act, starting 1 October. According to official notice, the AFSPA will remain in force for another six months in strife-hit Manipur. Meanwhile 19 Police stations mainly comprising areas in the valley have been kept out of its purview.The move comes even as protests over the killing of two missing Meitei teenagers, who were allegedly killed by suspected Kuki militants, continued to rock Manipur.Notably, the areas that have been kept out of the purview of AFSPA are dominated by the majority Meitei community which includes Jiribam, adjacent to Silchar valley of Assam.With the extension of AFSPA, the Army and Assam Rifles cannot operate inside the areas under the 19 police stations without the consent of the state police.In an official notification issued, it was stated that \"Governor of Manipur hereby accords approval to declare the entire state of Manipur excluding the areas falling under the jurisdiction of 19 police stations...as 'Disturbed Area' for a period of six months with effect from October 1, 2023.\"The police station areas where the Disturbed Areas Act has not been imposed are Imphal, Lamphel, City, Singjamei, Sekmai, Lamsang, Pastol, Wangoi, Porompat, Heingagng, Lamlai, Iribung, Leimakhong, Thoubal, Bishnupur, Nambol, Moirang, Kakchin and Jirbam.With the extension of AFSPA, the Army and Assam Rifles cannot operate inside the areas under the 19 police stations without the consent of the state police.\"Exciting news! Mint is now on WhatsApp Channels 🚀 Subscribe today by clicking the link and stay updated with the latest financial insights!\" Click here!Further, a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) team, led by the agency's Special Director Ajay Bhatnagar, reached Imphal in a special flight earlier today to investigate the alleged \"kidnapping and killing\" of two students.Photos of the bodies of the two missing teenagers went viral on social media, leading to protests by students in the state.
Altogether 45 students, many of them girls, were injured in Imphal Valley on Tuesday as the police fired tear gas shells and baton-charged protesters demonstrating against the killing of two youths who were allegedly kidnapped in July, officials said.Chief Minister N Biren Singh posted on X, \"To expedite this crucial investigation, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) Director, along with a specialised team, will be arriving in Imphal tomorrow morning in a special flight. Their presence underscores the commitment of our authorities to swiftly resolve this matter,\" Singh said.Photos of the bodies of the two students -- Phijam Hemjit (20) and Hijam Linthoingambi (17) -- who were missing since July, went viral on social media on Monday.One of the two photos purportedly showed the students with two armed men and the other was of two bodies.More than 175 people have been killed and several hundreds injured since ethnic clashes broke out in the northeastern state on 3 May, when a 'Tribal Solidarity March' was organised in the hill districts to protest the majority Hindu Meitei community's demand for Scheduled Tribe status.Meiteis account for about 53% of Manipur's population and live mostly in the Imphal valley, while tribals, including Nagas and Kukis, constitute 40% and reside mostly in the hill districts.

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