Internet suspended in parts of India's Manipur as students clash with police

GUWAHATI, India (Reuters) – Internet and mobile data services were suspended for five days and an indefinite curfew imposed in some parts of India’s northeastern state of Manipur on Tuesday after student protests over continuing ethnic strife turned violent.

After a brief lull, fighting broke out between the majority Meitei and minority Kuki communities on Sept. 1 and some attacks involved the use of drones to drop explosive devices, killing civilians. Police say they suspect that the drones were used by Kuki militants, a claim denied by Kuki groups.

Hundreds of Meitei students took to the streets on Monday to protest against the drone attacks, calling for a change in the leadership of the state’s “unified command” that oversees security.

Protesters threw stones and plastic bottles in front of the main gate of the state governor’s residence, police said in a statement. Police used tear gas and stun grenades to disperse the crowds and about 45 protesters suffered minor injuries, a police officer said.

As protests spilled over into Tuesday, the local government imposed a curfew in the Imphal Valley and surrounding districts and suspended internet services in five valley districts.

Government and private colleges in the state, which borders Myanmar, will also be shut on Wednesday and Thursday, according to an order issued by the government.

Authorities shut down the internet in Manipur last year, in one of India’s longest enforced outages.

In the Thoubal district on Monday, police said a large mob “overpowered personnel on duty”, snatched arms and fired at the police.

“We are using minimum force as a preventive measure to control the crowd,” a police official said, and added that the situation had been brought under control.

At least 225 people have died and some 60,000 have been displaced since fighting broke out last year between the Meitei and Kuki communities over the sharing of economic benefits and quotas in government jobs and education that are given to the tribal Kukis.

Manipur’s government is led by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Modi or the BJP have not commented on the latest violence in the state.

(Reporting by Tora Agarwala in Guwahati; Writing by Pushkala Aripaka; Editing by Ros Russell)