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| Tuesday, 21 September 2004 |
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Traffic cut off with Manipur in protest against army GUWAHATI, India, Monday (AFP) Traffic in and out of the northeastern Indian state of Manipur came to a halt Monday in a protest against the sweeping powers of the military in the insurgency-torn territory, officials said. The shutdown, which activists vowed will continue for 16 days or until the government budges, sparked fears of a shortage of supplies in the hill state which is heavily dependent on imports. "All incoming and outgoing vehicles kept off the roads on the first day of the highway blockade," a police spokesman said. Manipur has been rocked by protests since July when a 32-year-old woman detained under the troops' special powers died in military custody, allegedly after being raped. The military denies the rape and says she was a rebel. Police said they were ready to escort vehicles to enter the state of 2.2 million people which borders Myanmar. But the activists said the shutdown was observed voluntarily. "Almost all transport unions and travel agents have decided to voluntarily support us and so there is no need for forcibly enforcing the highway blockade," said Shiva Dutta, leader of the Apunba Lup group spearheading the protests. Manipur grocer Suresh Singh said if the strike continued "it would lead to a food crisis sooner or later." "We are totally dependent on supplies of essentials from outside Manipur," he said. |
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