Curfew relaxation brings relief to people in Imphal

Imphal, Aug 6 (ANI): People in Imphal got some relief on Thursday following a relaxation in curfew which provided them with an opportunity to venture outside their homes and stock up on essential commodities.

People thronged the market places to buy essential commodities as the authorities declared relaxation in the curfew from 5:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m.

Residents say that protests may subside now as Manipur Chief Minister Okram Ibobi Singh had ordered the suspension of six police commandos and judicial probe into fake encounter killings of July 23.

"It may subside. It may cool down now if the Chief Minister had done earlier what he did yesterday," said Leela Singh, a resident.

An indefinite curfew was imposed across the city on Tuesday following widespread violence.

Defying a curfew imposed by the Manipur Government, women protesters of the Apunba Lup, a conglomerate of civil society organisations, organised torch rallies on Wednesday night and burnt an effigy of Okram Ibobi Singh.

Police had to resort to tear gas shelling to disperse protesters late in the night. There were scuffles between security personnel and the women torch bearers, who are locally known as Meira Paibis, at many places. The protesting women used bamboo torches. The rallies began at 8:00 p.m.

Meanwhile, the United Committee of Manipur (UCM) has submitted a memorandum to Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh and Manipur Governor Gurbachan Jagat demanding the removal of Okram Ibobi Singh.

The protests were sparked off by the killing of a pregnant woman and a suspected militant in a shootout near the state legislature building in Imphal. Five were injured in the shootout.

The protesters in the state are demanding stringent action against the police commandos who were involved in the shootout. (ANI)