Curfew clamped in Manipur's Jiribam after protests over killing of man
Imphal, Jun 7: The Manipur government has imposed curfew in Jiribam district for an indefinite period after people staged protests over the killing of a 59-year-old man by suspected militants, an official said on Friday.
The prohibitory orders were clamped on Thursday night after locals set a few abandoned structures on fire following the recovery of the body of Soibam Saratkumar Singh.
The situation remained tense but calm on Friday morning after locals demonstrated over the killing of the man.
"There is the likelihood of widespread disturbance to peace and public tranquillity or riot or an affray..because of unlawful activities of anti-social elements," the official said, citing the orders issued by the Office of District Magistrate Jiribam.
The local administration also prohibited "assembly of five persons or more, which is likely to turn unlawful, carrying of firearms, sticks... and movement of any person outside their respective residences within the revenue jurisdiction of the district".
Singh went missing after he had gone to his farm on Thursday morning and later, his body was found with wounds made by a sharp object, a police officer said.
Locals had staged a protest in front of Jiribam Police Station, demanding that their licenced firearms taken from them in the wake of elections be returned to them after the completion of the polls.
The administration appealed to the people to maintain peace in the district.
"Jiribam district is facing a difficult time in terms of law and order, public peace and tranquillity", a notice said, adding that "an appeal is made to all sections of society...to maintain peace and calm and not succumb to any false information".
The district magistrate also requested the Jiribam superintendent of police to "identify vulnerable pockets and deploy security forces to avoid unwanted incidents".
A joint control room comprising officials of Assam Rifles, Central Reserve Police Force, Manipur Police and Indian Reserve Battalion has also been set up for quick communication among security forces in the district.
Jiribam, which has a diverse ethnic composition comprising Meiteis, Muslims, Nagas, Kukis and non-Manipuris, had so far remained unaffected by the ethnic strife which has been raging in Manipur since May last year.
The ethnic conflict between Imphal Valley-based Meiteis and hills-based Kukis has led to the deaths of over 200 people and rendered thousands of people homeless.
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AIITA welcomes Karnataka’s ban on obscene songs in school events
Bhatkal: The Karnataka unit of the All India Ideal Teachers Association (AIITA) has welcomed the Karnataka government’s decision to strictly ban school children from dancing to obscene songs during educational and cultural programmes in government, aided, and private schools across the state.
AIITA Karnataka State President M. R. Manvi congratulated the government for taking what he termed an important step to preserve the sanctity of education.
“Such decisions to safeguard the dignity of school children and uphold the values of education are the need of the hour. This rule should not be limited to government schools alone but must be strictly implemented in all private educational institutions as well,” he said.
He further urged the government to address other concerns within school programmes.
“The government should not only prohibit obscene dances in the name of school anniversaries, but also ensure that plays and dialogues that incite religious hatred are avoided. Schools should be centres of harmony, not platforms for spreading hatred,” he added.
According to a recent circular issued by the Department of School Education and Literacy, obscene dances are adversely affecting the mental health and moral values of students.
In this regard, schools have been advised to use songs that promote nationalism, positive thinking, the greatness of Kannada culture, and value-based traditions instead of inappropriate content during programmes.
The circular also emphasises that students should be dressed in decent attire.
AIITA also backed the department’s warning that disciplinary action would be taken against head teachers if such guidelines are violated. The association has further demanded that district Deputy Directors of Public Instruction strictly monitor the implementation of these rules.
