Manipur insurgents order shutdown to protest PM Modi's visit to state

IMPHAL: The Coordinating Committee (Corcom) formed by six proscribed underground organisations in Manipur on Tuesday called for a 17-hour shutdown in Manipur to coincide with the state visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Rajnath Singh.

The Corcom said the shutdown will come into effect from 1 a.m. of March 16. It appealed to the people not to participate in official functions and said examinations and other essential services will be exempt from the proposed shutdown. 

On the other hand, the Joint Action Committee protesting against the "forcible" inauguration of Mapithel dam has called for a 48-hour general strike in Manipur, which will end on March 16 midnight. 

Modi is scheduled to arrive in Imphal on March 16 morning on a one-day visit and will lay the foundation stones of a slew of projects, including a sports university. 

The Prime Minister is also slated to address a public event at Luwangshangpham ground in Heingang constituency of Chief Minister N. Biren Singh on March 16. 

He will also inaugurate the 10th Science Congress on the Manipur University campus. 

The Chief Minister, who also holds the home portfolio, has ordered state and central forces to beef up security in and around Imphal to maintain law and order. 

Police has been carrying out searches in trouble-prone areas ahead of the VVIP visit. 

Official sources said additional security forces from other districts had been deployed in the areas which Modi and Singh will visit.