Imphal (Manipur) [India], June 23 : The historic Khwairamband Ima Market in the heart of Imphal witnessed a massive demonstration on Tuesday, as thousands of women vendors staged a sit-in protest to express their anger over the recent arrests of village volunteers by central agencies.
The protesters, a powerful and influential collective in Manipuri society, demanded the immediate and unconditional release of village volunteers by a joint team of the National Investigation Agency (NIA), the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and Manipur Police last week, and also demanded the immediate release of three Arambai Tenggol (AT) volunteers.
Protesters also voiced concern over what they described as continued targeting of local volunteers amid ongoing efforts to restore normalcy in the state.
The protest comes days after the NIA announced the arrest of 10 accused in six cases linked to ethnic violence in Manipur. According to the agency, the arrests were made during a coordinated operation conducted with the Manipur Police and CRPF across multiple districts, including Imphal East, Imphal West, Bishnupur, Churachandpur, Ukhrul, Chandel and Pherzawl.
In a statement issued on June 19, the NIA said the accused were allegedly involved in incidents related to the ethnic unrest that has affected the state since May 2023. The agency stated that investigations revealed the accused had played active roles in attacks on security forces, looting of arms and ammunition, and bank robberies during the period of violence.
The NIA said the operation was based on extensive intelligence gathering, technical inputs and field investigations aimed at identifying individuals involved in criminal and terrorist activities across communities in the state.
The agency further said the arrests were expected to provide crucial information regarding the planning, execution and support networks behind various incidents of violence. Investigators are also examining possible links between different cases and groups involved in the unrest.
Manipur has witnessed prolonged ethnic violence since May 2023, resulting in hundreds of deaths and the displacement of thousands of people.