If nothing really happened, why will so many women in Manipur shed their clothes and ransack security forces infrastructure and 100 or more of them get injured? Why did the Government ban the local Cable News Network that first showed what was happening in Manipur? A thorough investigation is needed and the culprits if they are proven guilt must be punished.

Several women activists today defied the curfew and clashed with state police at a number of places in and around Imphal West and East demanding booking of the Assam Rifles personnel responsible for “raping” and killing 32-year-old Th Manorama, withdrawal of 17th Assam Rifles and removal of the Armed forces Special Powers Act.
Nearly a 100 protestors were injured, some of them seriously, in the clash that began in the morning and continued all through the day. At least 48 of them, mostly women have been rushed to two government hospitals in the capital.
Major confrontations took place in Kongpal, Khurai and Sangakpham in Imphal East, and Singjamei, Kakwa, Kwakeithel, Sagolband, Tera and Naoremthong in Imphal West.
Police fired several hundred rounds of rubber bullets and tear gas to disperse angry crowds and had to even resort to lathi-charge. They managed to keep the rally beyond the sensitive zone, which houses the Raj Bhavan, CM Secretariat, Assembly Secretariat and several other important buildings. The government has already beefed up security around the complexes. 

Fire brigade, bullet-proof vehicles and paramilitary jawans have been station all around the Raj Bhavan. The government also enlarged the area of indefinite curfew from municipality area of the Capital to Greater Imphal area, extending it to Thoubal and Bishenpur districts fearing trouble later in the night.

The protestors were responding to the call of over 30 organisations, which had announced plans to hold a rally and submit memorandum to the Governor, chief minister and Assam Rifles authorities.

Similar rallies have been reported in Thoubal and Bishunupur districts where protestors submitted copies of memorandum to the DCs.

The rally follows a series of protest over the killing. Earlier, a two-day general strike crippled the capital and then several women activists shed their cloth and stormed the Kangla Forth which houses the command centre of the 17 Assam Rifles.

Local cable news banned

The Manipur government has banned local cable network news as it may lead to violence in the current situation arising out of the killing of Th Manorama Devi, official sources said today. They said the network showed naked women protesting the killing in front of Assam Rifles range office here yesterday.