Imphal, Nov 21 (IANS) With the improvement of the law and order situation, the District Magistrates of five Manipur Valley districts issued orders on Thursday to relax curfew for seven hours on Friday, officials said.
A Home Department official said that there is a necessity to relax the restriction of movement to facilitate the people to purchase essential items including medicines and food items and to perform important work, thus, the indefinite curfew has been relaxed on Friday for seven hours from 5 a.m.
“This relaxation shall, however, not apply to any gathering/large scale movement of persons/sit-in protests/rally, etc. which is unlawful in nature,” the DMs’ order said.
The five districts are Imphal West, Imphal East, Thoubal, Bishnupur, and Kakching.
Meanwhile, schools, colleges, and universities in Manipur’s Imphal Valley will remain closed till November 23 for the safety of the students, teachers, and staff.
An order issued by Joint Secretary, Higher and Technical Education Department, Daryal Juli Anal, said that because of the curfew imposed in many of the districts and considering the safety of the students and teachers, all the government and government-aided educational institutions, including state universities in these districts where curfew has been imposed, will remain closed till November 23.
After widespread violence broke out in several districts, especially in Imphal East, Imphal West and Jiribam, on November 16 following the recovery of six bodies of three missing children and three women in the Jiribam district on November 15 and 16, the state government considered the safety of the students and teachers, closing all educational institutions in the five valley districts where curfew has been imposed.
Officials said that no major incident was reported from any of the districts since Monday.
Meanwhile, Commissioner (Home), N. Ashok Kumar in his order on Wednesday said that because of the prevailing law and order situation, the government has decided to extend the suspension of mobile internet and data services for three more days in seven trouble-torn districts with effect from 5.15 p.m. on Wednesday to 5.15 p.m. on Saturday. The seven districts comprising the valley and hills are Imphal West, Imphal East, Bishnupur, Thoubal, Kakching, Kangpokpi, and Churachandpur.
–IANS
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