Normal life crippled in the state as JCILPS public curfew underway

Imphal, May 6: Normal life in the state was put to a complete halt on the first day of the public curfew called by the Joint Action Committee on Inner Line Permit System (JCILPS) which coincided with the 2nd day of the bandh called by 2 JACs formed in connection with the death of one Prashanta – a youth who was found hanged to death at Lilong.
While response to the curfew called was positive in other valley districts of the state, the capital city Imphal wore a complete deserted look during on the first day of the public curfew. Almost all business establishments in and around greater Imphal area including those at Khwairamband Keithel area remain totally shut. Both private and government educational institutions including schools, colleges and Manipur University remain close. Most of the government offices look like holidays with only some few staffs seen attending. Our reporters witness some of the government offices at Lamphel area closed as no staffs attended.  Thin attendance of staffs was witnessed at Secretariat office. As for the Banking service, financial transaction was completely freezed.
Except for emergency services and ritual related private vehicles, almost all vehicles including inter-district and inter-state passenger vehicles, Diesel Auto service and other vehicles remain off the road.
Protestors at Kakwa, Singjamei, Khongman Mangjil, Keishampat, Uripok and Tera blocked the roads by burning tyres, woods and pilling up stones.
There are also reports about some of the curfew supporters preventing even media persons from passing the area at Khongman Mangjil area in Imphal East. Reporters, who were on duty covering news of the bandh and public curfew, were forcefully detained and allowed to pass their barricade after some time by the agitation supporters at Khongman Mangjil.
Meanwhile, City Police has picked up four volunteers of Manipuri Students’ Federation (MSF) from Keishampat junction area this afternoon while they were trying to prevent movement of vehicles. Later, police released three among them while one volunteer put under detention till the filling of this story.
The JCILPS that has been spearheading the ILPS movement has called 42-hour public curfew with effect from the midnight of May 5 to 6 pm of May 7 in protest against the state government inaction to the agreement signed between the government and the representatives of the JCILPS.