Imphal: Thousands of people across Manipur’s five valley districts took to the streets on Friday evening to stage a “sound protest” against continued killings and the alleged government’s failure to restore normalcy in the state.
Protesters in different localities of Imphal banged utensils, struck electric poles with hammers and honked vehicle horns between 7.30 pm and 8 pm to express their anger over the alleged failure of the state government to resolve the ethnic conflict and meet various demands.
Several protesters also took drums to the streets and beat them as part of the demonstration.
“We are making these sounds to make the leaders hear our pain. For so long, we have been pleading with them over multiple demands, but they have turned a blind eye. That is why we responded to the call for the protest today,” a protester said.
The demonstrators marched towards Kangla, the ancient political and cultural centre of the erstwhile Manipur kingdom, located a few metres from Lok Bhavan and the chief minister’s secretariat.
Security forces stopped several protesters at Palace Compound, Moirangkhom and Keisampat junctions.
However, hundreds of others managed to reach the Kangla gate.
Police initially attempted to prevent the demonstrators from entering the fort premises but were overwhelmed by the large numbers, with protesters entering the complex and continuing their demonstration.
Lights were also switched off across the state capital from around 7.50 pm for nearly 10 minutes during the protest.
Police later fired several rounds of tear gas shells to disperse the protesters who had assembled near the Lok Bhavan. Police also put up barricades near the Lok Bhavan after 8 pm.
No injuries or violence were reported during the protests.
The protest was organised in response to a call by the Federation of Haomee, a civil society organisation, which urged people to make noise between 7.30 pm and 8 pm to convey their frustration over the continuing ethnic conflict and the government’s alleged failure to restore peace.
