Manipur Violence: On Tuesday (June 20), the Manipur government announced the extension of the internet ban throughout the state until June 25th.
In an effort to maintain peace and prevent further disturbances amidst incidents like arson in Manipur, the state government has decided to extend the internet ban for an additional five days, effective immediately.
During the hearing of several Public Interest Litigations seeking the restoration of internet services in Manipur, the order to extend the internet ban was issued on Friday by Justices Ahanthem Bimol Singh and A Guneshwar Sharma. Advocates revealed that this information became known on Tuesday.
Since May 3, the state has been under an ongoing internet ban due to the violence between the Kukis and Meities, which was triggered by a high court directive to consider granting Scheduled Tribe (ST) status to the Meities.
On Tuesday (June 20), the Supreme Court refused to grant an expedited hearing for a plea seeking Army protection for the minority Kuki tribals in Manipur, amidst the ongoing ethnic violence.
Justices Surya Kant and M M Sundresh, presiding over a vacation bench, stated that it is primarily a law and order issue.
Senior advocate Colin Gonsalves represented the NGO Manipur Tribal Forum during the mention of the matter.
During the court proceedings, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta informed the bench that security agencies are already deployed on the ground, countering the plea for an immediate hearing.
The Supreme Court scheduled the case for a hearing on July 3. The Manipur Tribal Forum has alleged that both the central government and the chief minister of Manipur have collaborated in pursuing a communal agenda, which they claim is aimed at the "ethnic cleansing" of Kuki tribals in the northeastern state.
