Top tribal body calls for 12-hour shutdown after five Kuki-Zos arrested in Manipur
Churachandpur (Manipur)(PTI): A major Kuki organisation of Manipur called for a 12-hour “total shutdown” in the Kuki-majority areas of the ethnic violence-affected state on Wednesday to protest against the arrest of five people belonging to the community.
The Kuki Inpi in a statement on Tuesday said it would enforce the shutdown between 6 am and 6 pm.
“The Kuki Inpi in its emergency meeting today resolved to call a 12 Hours (6 am to 6 pm) ‘Total Shutdown’ in all Kuki-Zo dominated regions on 10.7.2024 to protest against the gross injustice meted out to our people,” the statement read.
The tribal body urged all Kuki-Zo regional organisations to abide by the resolve to express solidarity for the common cause of the people.
The deployment of the central security forces in vulnerable areas initially provided a sense of safety and security for the Kuki-Zo people, but the arrest of two persons in Jiribam and three others in Kangpokpi districts since Monday “poses a significant security threat” for them, the statement said.
It alleged that the Imphal valley based militant groups are openly brandishing sophisticated arms, while the Kuki-Zo people are being terrorized.
In the ethnic violence affected Manipur, both the warning Imphal valley-based Meitei community and hill-based Kukis have been accusing the central force of supporting the other group.
Over 200 people were killed and thousands rendered homeless in the violence since May last year.
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NEET student hangs self in Rajasthan's Sikar
Jaipur (PTI): A student preparing for the NEET examination allegedly committed suicide by hanging himself in a rented room in Rajasthan's Sikar on Friday, police said.
According to the police, the student allegedly hanged himself from a ceiling fan using his sister's scarf while one sister was attending coaching classes and the other was in the bathroom.
He had appeared in the NEET UG exam 2026, which was cancelled due to paper leak, they said.
Udyog Nagar SHO Rajesh Kumar said that the deceased, identified as Pradeep Meghwal, was a resident of Kanika ki Dhani village in Jhunjhunu's Gudha Gaudji area.
He had been living in a rented room in Sikar's Jaldhari Nagar area with his two sisters while preparing for NEET over the last three years.
His elder sister later found him hanging and informed the landlord and police after bringing him down, officials said.
The SHO said the body was kept at SK Hospital mortuary, and a postmortem had not been conducted.
The student's father, Rajesh Kumar Meghwal, told police that Pradeep's NEET examination had gone well and the family was expecting him to score around 650 marks.
Former Rajasthan deputy chief minister Sachin Pilot expressed grief over the incident and linked it to anxiety among students after reports of irregularities and paper leaks in NEET 2026.
Pilot said repeated paper leak incidents and cancellation of examinations were affecting students' mental health and demanded a time-bound investigation and strict action against those responsible.
