Curfew was relaxed for nine hours in Imphal on Monday
The committee leading protests in Manipur's capital Imphal has decided to go ahead with a 12-hour general strike tomorrow, despite conciliatory measures by the state government towards those who want strict regulations for the entry of non-indigenous people into the state, and have been protesting on the streets of the city leading to clashes with cops.
On Sunday night, Manipur Chief Minister Okram Ibobi Singh announced the withdrawal of a bill introduced in the State Assembly in March that promised to regulate the entry of non-indigenous people into the state, but was rubbished by those leading the protest as being too weak.
But this is not enough, say those leading the protests. "You see the issue is not that the government has withdrawn the earlier bill. The issue is how soon our demand for a tough law is implemented on the ground. Till that time, our protest will continue," says Khonjam Ratan, the Convener of the Joint Committee on the Inner Line Permit System.
The crux of Manipur's latest confrontation, a belief among the Imphal Valleys predominant Meitei community, that an influx of outsiders into the state, has taken away jobs, and land, from them, unlike in states like neighbouring Nagaland, where the entry of outsiders is strictly regulated.
Okram Ibobi Singh said after a cabinet meeting yesterday, "Either the laws should be taken away from states like Nagaland or we should get the same laws," a clear indication that the government will bring in tougher laws related to the issue.
Curfew was relaxed for nine hours in Imphal on Monday, and people thronged the markets to stock up on supplies before the curfew was reimposed in the afternoon.