Manipur unrest: All schools in state to remain closed on 7 September

Amid the ongoing unrest in Manipur, the state government announced on 6 September that all government schools would be closed on Saturday, 7 September.

This decision has been taken citing the safety of the students and the teachers, ANI quoted the Manipur government order as saying.

Earlier in the day, an elderly man was killed and five others were injured after suspected militants launched a bomb attack on a residential area of Moirang in Bishnupur district. This is the second rocket that was fired in the district.

The officials had mentioned that the rocket which fell on the compound of former chief minister Mairembam Koireng’s residence seemed to be an improvised one.

"The elderly man was preparing for some religious rituals in the compound when the bomb exploded. He died on the spot," PTI quoted the official as saying.

According to details, five others, including a 13-year-old girl, were injured in the explosion. The rocket fell at a spot around two km from the INA headquarters, said officials.

A rocket was fired from an elevated position in the nearby hill areas toward the low-lying residential locality of Tronglaobi, located around 45km from the state capital Imphal on Friday morning.

People protest:

After the recent drone and gun attacks in Manipur, thousands of people across five districts of Imphal Valley formed human chains. in the attacks, two civilians died, while 12 were injured.

All the participants expressed dissatisfaction with the government's handling of the ongoing conflict in the state.

Major markets were closed, and vehicles remained off the roads during the protest, organised by the Coordinating Committee on Manipur Integrity (COCOMI).

Since May 2023, over 200 people died due to the drone attacks used in the violence between the two large ethnic groups – Meitei and Kuki – in the northeastern state.

With agency inputs.