The state’s highways fell eerily quiet as a 48‑hour strike slammed into Manipur on Tuesday, leaving buses idling in Canchipur, Khurai and Patsoi and cars stranded in the capital. Roads that usually hum with daily commuters were deserted, the air thick with the smell of smoke from small fires that had been set to block protest marches.
The victims were Lairenpakpam Inaobi Meitei, 40, Aribam Noni Meetei, 35, and Ksh. Sushil Singh, 30, all from rural villages near the Khongbal foothills. Their bodies were found among the trees they gathered firewood—an act that should have been safe, yet turned deadly. Several others sustained injuries, though the precise number is still being tallied by local health workers.
The Native People Committee (NPC) demanded the resignation of Deputy Chief Minister Nemcha Kipgen and called for a time‑bound investigation into the killings. The committee also asked for the removal of unauthorized armed camps near the foothills and for increased security patrols. Earlier, the police had detained two men who had brought the bodies to the Chief Minister Yumnam Khemchand Singh’s residence; they were released Monday after a brief court hearing.
The CM has promised a transparent, time‑bound inquiry and urged the state and central governments to deploy more troops in vulnerable forest areas. The strike, which exempted essential services like ambulance and medical care, has already sparked calls for a meeting with central security agencies. Witnesses say the next day will see a formal inquiry convened, and the NPC hopes the government will act before more civilians are attacked.