Meitei protesters lock central government offices in Manipur’s Imphal amid growing tensions
Imphal: Protests by the student wing of Meitei civil society group, Coordinating Committee on Manipur Integrity, have escalated in Imphal with demonstrators locking the offices of the Chief Electoral Officer and the Geological Survey of India.
The move is part of a larger statewide protest demanding an apology from Governor Ajay Kumar Bhalla, as reported by The Telegraph on Wednesday.
Protesters also held placards that said “Apology to Manipur or Leave Manipur” and “President’s Rule must stop insulting Manipur’s identity”.
The unrest is rooted in a May 20 incident where security personnel allegedly ordered the removal of the words “Manipur State Transport” from a state-run bus that was transporting around twenty journalists to the Shirui Lily Festival in Ukhrul.
The situation has further intensified due to reports that Governor Bhalla was airlifted by an army helicopter from Imphal Airport to Kangla Fort—just 300 meters from the Raj Bhavan—on Monday. This move was allegedly made to avoid protesters blocking the roads, which has fueled public outrage, The Telegraph added.
Violence has plagued Manipur since May 2023, with ethnic clashes between the Meitei and Kuki-Zo-Hmar communities. Over 260 lives have been lost, and thousands have been displaced.
Manipur has been under President’s Rule since February this year, following the resignation of Chief Minister N. Biren Singh.
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KKR land Green for record-breaking Rs 25.20 crore; Shaw, Sarfaraz go unsold
Abu Dhabi (PTI): Kolkata Knight Riders splurged a record-breaking Rs 25.20 to land top Australian all-rounder Cameron Green even as Indian stars Prithvi Shaw and Sarfaraz Khan went unsold in the Indian Premier League players' auction here on Tuesday.
Green surpassed compatriot Mitchell Starc (Rs 24.75 crore) to become the most expensive overseas player at an IPL auction. This was after Kolkata Knight Riders and Chennai Super Kings were involved in an intense bidding war for him before the latter emerged winner.
KKR also went after Venkatesh Iyer before pulling out of the race against Royal Challengers Bengaluru, who fetched the services of the India all-rounder for Rs 7 crore.
As far as Green is concerned, his salary for the season would still be Rs 18 crore (USD 1.9 million) as the rest of the amount will go towards the BCCI's player development programme as per the rules of the auction for foreign players.
Green, who previously turned up for Mumbai Indians and Royal Challengers Bengaluru, has so far played 29 matches in the IPL to aggregate 707 runs and take 16 wickets.
Shaw, however, went unsold despite his fine run of form in the domestic circuit lately, and so was the case with Sarfaraz, who smashed a 22-ball 73 in a Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy match for Mumbai on Tuesday.
Big-hitting South African batter David Miller was bought by Delhi Capitals for his base price of Rs 2 crore, but New Zealand swashbuckler Devon Conway, whose base price was also Rs 2 crore, went unsold in the auction.
Seasoned South African opener Quinton de Kock returned to his old base Mumbai Indians for a base price of Rs 1 crore.
A total of 359 players -- 246 Indians and 113 overseas players -- are part of the mini auction pool with the 10 franchises bidding to fill up a maximum of 77 slots, including 31 reserved for foreign players.
