Imphal: Two people, including a woman police officer and a woman protester, were injured on Tuesday as protests demanding implementation of the National Register of Citizens (NRC) before the upcoming Census intensified across Manipur.
The injuries occurred as a 48-hour general strike called by the Just and Fair for Delimitation (JFD) brought normal life across the state to a standstill.
Braving heavy rain, a large number of women protesters gathered outside the Imphal East Deputy Commissioner’s office complex, raising slogans demanding that the NRC be implemented before the Census.
Tension escalated when protesters attempted to enter the Imphal East DC office complex. Police personnel used smoke/riot grenades to disperse the crowd, during which a woman protester sustained an injury to her right leg. She was subsequently rushed to the Jawaharlal Nehru Institute of Medical Sciences (JNIMS) in Porompat for treatment.
A woman police officer was also injured during the confrontation and was taken for medical treatment.
The 48-hour general strike severely disrupted normal life across the state. Business establishments, markets and offices remained closed, while public and private vehicles stayed off the roads, except those providing emergency services.
Inter-district transport services were also suspended, leaving major roads and markets largely deserted.
The JFD has been demanding that the NRC exercise be carried out before the Census, arguing that an updated citizens’ register is essential for ensuring a fair and credible delimitation exercise in the state.
Earlier on Tuesday, Chief Minister Yumnam Khemchand Singh said the state government supported the demand for implementation of the NRC but did not favour the practice of calling bandhs.
He said protesters should consider other forms of democratic protest, as bandhs adversely affect school and college students as well as daily wage earners in the state.
Also Read: How a journalist helped tea farmers rewrite their future in eastern Nagaland