24-hour general strike affects normal life in Manipur

, Nov 15: Normal life in

was affected on Friday due to a 24-hour general

called by a local committee to protest the killing of Manipur People's Party (MPP) vice president Mani Sana even as MPP demanded immediate imposition of President's rule in the state.

Markets, shops and business establishments were closed in view of the general strike called by the joint action committee (JAC) against the brutal killing of Sana on Wednesday last by two unidentified gunmen at Changangei area near Imphal airport, official sources said.

Vehicular traffic between Manipur and neighbouring states were affected because of the strike which began from 5 AM this morning but it was normal between the state capital and district headquarters, the sources said.

The general strike was announced late last evening so the news did not reach all the district headquarters, sources said. Several civil organisations strongly condemned the killing of Sana amid tight security deployment at the airport complex where he was gunned down, sources said. Family sources said no individual or group had demanded money from Sana, who refused to give lift to two persons about two months ago since the persons were not known to him.

MPP general Secretary Inaocha Singh, demanding immediate imposition of president's rule, said the state government had failed to protect the life of common citizens even at the tight security capital complex. "Imphal is not the whole of Manipur," an MPP spokesman said, adding that recent series of bomb blasts and killing of any person by gunmen anytime showed that Manipur was passing today through a turmoil period and that life was not secured. President's rule should be imposed to stop killing of persons every day by unidentified gunmen, MPP sources said.

PTI