Manipur Home Minister Govindas Konthoujam has appealed to civil society groups and the public to reconsider and withdraw the proposed five-day total shutdown in the interest of public welfare and normalcy in the state. He was speaking at a press conference held at the Chief Minister’s Secretariat in Imphal.

Highlighting the hardships caused by prolonged shutdowns, the Minister said daily wage earners, farmers, and students have been severely affected, with educational institutions remaining closed. He assured that the government is seriously addressing public concerns and stated that most demands raised by the Joint Action Committee (JAC) on the Tronglaobi incident have been agreed to.

He further informed that the government has offered a suitable state government job to Mangal, father of the two children killed in the Tronglaobi incident, and also to the injured mother, a trained nurse. However, the family has sought time to consider the offers. The Minister termed the call for a five-day shutdown thereafter as unfortunate.

Referring to the recent incident at T Kasom Village, he condemned it as highly unfortunate and said a memorandum submitted by the Tangkhul Naga Long (TNL) has been discussed in a joint meeting with Naga MLAs led by Deputy Chief Minister Losii Dikho. He assured compensation to the families of the deceased and assistance for the injured.

The Minister also revealed that out of 272 CAPF companies deployed in the state, 103 are being withdrawn due to elections in West Bengal. However, following a request by Chief Minister Yumnam Khemchand Singh, 184 companies will remain deployed to maintain security. He added that advanced assets such as mine-protected and bullet-proof vehicles are being introduced to strengthen safety measures.

Urging cooperation, he called for maintaining peace and resolving issues through dialogue, reaffirming the government’s commitment to protect lives and restore normalcy.