Category: MANIPUR

• IMPHAL

Two cabin crew members from Manipur - Kongbrailatpam Nganthoi Sharma (20) and Lamnunthem Singson (26) – were killed when the London-bound Air India flight, carrying over 240 passengers, crashed shortly after taking off from the Ahmedabad airport.

A Home Department official said that the situation in the five valley districts have been reviewed and it is deemed appropriate to partially relax the restrictions while ensuring public safety and maintaining law and order.

Normal life was badly affected in five valley districts of Manipur on Monday due to the indefinite curfew and 10-day shutdown, called by the Meitei radical outfit Arambai Tenggol.

A day after former Manipur Chief Minister N. Biren Singh held a meeting with Governor Ajay Kumar Bhalla, 10 NDA MLAs on Wednesday met the Governor, claiming that they have the support of 44 legislators in the 60-member Assembly to form a popular government in the state. 

Smuggling of various narcotic substances from Myanmar continues unabated in the northeastern states of India, as drugs valued at Rs 9.70 crore have been seized by the security forces in Manipur and Mizoram and four drug peddlers have been apprehended, officials said on Wednesday. 

The security forces have seized 610 tons of "illegally transported" timber worth Rs 3.10 crore in Manipur's Tengnoupal district, adjoining Myanmar, officials said on Monday. 

In a series of joint operations, the Army, in coordination with other forces, including police, has arrested 29 militants of different proscribed outfits and recovered 28 weapons, huge quantities of ammunition and explosives from different districts of Manipur, officials said on Tuesday.

Nine extremists belonging to various banned groups were arrested in the past 24 hours from different districts of the trouble-torn state of Manipur in combined operations by security forces, officials said on Saturday. 

In a major counter-insurgency operation, at least 10 militants were killed during a fierce encounter with the Assam Rifles in Manipur's Chandel district, as security forces continue their intensified crackdown on insurgent groups across the state. 

As part of their nationwide programme, opposition Congress on Friday organised a 'Jai Hind Tiranga Yatra' in northeastern states in support of the Indian Army’s determined action under ‘Operation Sindoor’, targeting terror hideouts in Pakistan. 

Normal life was badly affected in Manipur on Saturday as a shutdown was called by various groups to mark two years of ethnic conflict in the state. However, according to the police officials, the shutdown is peaceful so far in both the valley and hill districts.

The Opposition Congress on Wednesday slammed 21 MLAs of Manipur for bypassing the state Governor and writing letters to the Prime Minister and Union Home Minister, urging them to reinstate a popular government in the state.

Security forces in Manipur arrested seven militants belonging to different banned outfits from Imphal East and Imphal West districts, officials said on Friday. 

Eleven insurgents have been arrested in Manipur and arms and ammunition recovered in the past 24 hours, said officials here, adding that top Army officers of the region have met Governor Ajay Kumar Bhalla.

Union Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER) Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia on Thursday said that he is confident that his ministry would serve as a proactive facilitator in unlocking new opportunities and accelerating Manipur’s growth and development.

Congress leaders claimed that through false allegations, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) under the direction of the Central government filed a chargesheet against the party's Parliamentary Party Chairperson Sonia Gandhi and Leader of Opposition (LoP) Rahul Gandhi, among others.

At least seven policemen sustained injuries on Saturday during a clash between the security personnel and the agitators who held a protest rally against the recently enacted Waqf (Amendment) Act in northern Tripura’s Kailashahar under Unakoti district.

After Mizoram, the Assam Rifles have seized 68 tonnes of smuggled areca nuts worth Rs 5.87 crore in Manipur’s Kangpokpi district, officials said on Friday. 

The Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has provided Rs 217 crore as financial support in the last fiscal year (2024-25) for relief and rehabilitation measures for those people displaced due to the ethnic violence in Manipur since May 3, 2023, officials said here on Sunday. 

Fresh tension broke out between two tribal communities in Manipur’s Kangpokpi district on Saturday after at least 10 people, including two key village leaders, were allegedly assaulted by suspected Kuki militants over a land dispute, officials said.

In a bid to resolve the 23-month-long ethnic hostilities, the first tripartite meeting between the officials of the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) and the representatives of Meitei and Kuki-Zo communities was held in New Delhi on Saturday. 

The Manipur Police arrested 11 militants belonging to various banned outfits and recovered a large cache of arms and ammunition during the past 24 hours, officials said here on Friday.

The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) on Sunday extended the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act for another six months in certain parts of Manipur, Arunachal Pradesh and Nagaland, officials said, adding that further extension of the law would be effective from April 1. 

In a series of joint operations, the Indian Army and other security forces have recovered illegally held 29 arms, some improvised explosive devices (IEDs), grenades, various ammunition and war-like stores, officials said on Saturday.

The Manipur government on Saturday announced a reward of Rs 10 lakh for providing the whereabouts of Meitei community youth Luwangthem Mukhesh (20), who went missing on March 16, an official said.