Hundreds of people clashed with police in India's northeastern state of Manipur yesterday protesting an anti-terror law after a suspected woman rebel was shot dead by troops in her home.
Manipur, whose name means a land of jewels, has been on the boil since Thangjam Manorama, 30, was killed a month ago by troops who suspected she was involved in a rebellion that has run in the state for decades.
The state government withdrew the Armed Forces Special Powers Act from its capital, Imphal, and some nearby areas on Thursday. The disputed law gives security forces sweeping powers to arrest or shoot suspects.
People poured out on Imphal's streets yesterday shouting "Remove armed forces special powers act," "Go back Indian army" and "Remove Indian colonial law," defying a government ban on gatherings. Dozens of protesters suffered minor injuries after scuffles with police, witnesses said.
"We are not satisfied with the government's decision. We are going to intensify our movement now until the law is revoked from the entire state," Apunba Lup, an umbrella organization of 32 groups involved in the protest campaign, said in a statement.
Protesters said the killing of Manorama was the latest in a series of abuses under the anti-terror act, but a federal interior ministry official said it was not within Manipur's powers to scrap it and that the national government could restore it to fight the insurgency.
Offices, shops and schools remained shut in protest and soldiers and police in battle gear patrolled the city.
More than 20 armed groups operate in Manipur. They accuse New Delhi of neglecting the economy and want more freedom or independence for the state.
The anti-terror law is in force in seven northeastern states which have been torn by separatist insurgencies for decades. More than 10,000 people have died in 30 years of violence in Manipur alone.
Some years ago New Delhi restored a similar law removed by another northeastern state, Nagaland, but Manipur Chief Minister Ibobi Singh urged the federal government let his government would deal with the situation.
Four people jailed in the landmark Hong Kong national security trial of "47 democrats" accused of conspiracy to commit subversion were freed today after more than four years behind bars, the second group to be released in a month. Among those freed was long-time political and LGBTQ activist Jimmy Sham (岑子杰), who also led one of Hong Kong’s largest pro-democracy groups, the Civil Human Rights Front, which disbanded in 2021. "Let me spend some time with my family," Sham said after arriving at his home in the Kowloon district of Jordan. "I don’t know how to plan ahead because, to me, it feels
Poland is set to hold a presidential runoff election today between two candidates offering starkly different visions for the country’s future. The winner would succeed Polish President Andrzej Duda, a conservative who is finishing his second and final term. The outcome would determine whether Poland embraces a nationalist populist trajectory or pivots more fully toward liberal, pro-European policies. An exit poll by Ipsos would be released when polls close today at 9pm local time, with a margin of error of plus or minus 2 percentage points. Final results are expected tomorrow. Whoever wins can be expected to either help or hinder the
North Korea has detained another official over last week’s failed launch of a warship, which damaged the naval destroyer, state media reported yesterday. Pyongyang announced “a serious accident” at Wednesday last week’s launch ceremony, which crushed sections of the bottom of the new destroyer. North Korean leader Kim Jong-un called the mishap a “criminal act caused by absolute carelessness.” Ri Hyong-son, vice department director of the Munitions Industry Department of the Party Central Committee, was summoned and detained on Sunday, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported. He was “greatly responsible for the occurrence of the serious accident,” it said. Ri is the fourth person
The collapse of the Swiss Birch glacier serves as a chilling warning of the escalating dangers faced by communities worldwide living under the shadow of fragile ice, particularly in Asia, experts said. Footage of the collapse on Wednesday showed a huge cloud of ice and rubble hurtling down the mountainside into the hamlet of Blatten. Swiss Development Cooperation disaster risk reduction adviser Ali Neumann said that while the role of climate change in the case of Blatten “still needs to be investigated,” the wider impacts were clear on the cryosphere — the part of the world covered by frozen water. “Climate change and
RSS