Overview
- The Federation of Haomee organised a half-hour 'sound protest' on Oct 23 that saw thousands in Manipur’s five valley districts bang utensils, strike electric poles, beat drums and honk horns to demand an end to killings and a return to normalcy.
- Protesters marched toward the Kangla fort near the chief minister’s secretariat but security forces intercepted groups at Palace Compound, Moirangkhom and Keisampat junctions and prevented hundreds from entering the Kangla gate.
- Police fired tear gas to disperse demonstrators in parts of Imphal, according to later reporting, while no major injuries were reported during the noise demonstrations.
- Demonstrators said their demands included implementation of the National Register of Citizens updates, deportation of alleged undocumented migrants and abrogation of the Suspension of Operations pact, and state officials said searches were under way with three arrests reported in connection with recent killings.
- The protest builds on prolonged ethnic violence that began in May 2023, a campaign that the Assembly was told has left at least 306 people dead, 49 missing and about 60,000 displaced, and it raises the risk of renewed unrest if authorities do not offer clear, prompt remedies.