India resumes internet ban in restive Manipur after protests

GUWAHATI, India: India has reimposed an internet ban on restive Manipur state after violent protests erupted following the circulation of photographs of two dead students killed during the months-long conflict, officials said.

More than 150 people have been killed in the remote northeast state since armed clashes broke out in May between the predominantly Hindu Meitei majority and the mainly Christian Kuki community.

The far-flung state has fractured on ethnic lines with rival militia groups setting up blockades. A nearly five-month long internet ban was lifted last week, but was reimposed late on Tuesday after dozens were injured during violent protests in the state capital Imphal.

On Tuesday, police fired tear gas as hundreds of angry students marched following the release of photographs of two dead bodies on social media, a 17-year old woman and a 20-year old man from the Meitei community, local media reported. The pair went missing in July.

The internet was then cut to curb the “spread of disinformation, false rumours, and other types of violent activities through social media platforms”, a government order read. Biren Singh, the state´s chief minister, said late on Tuesday that officers were investigating the deaths.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been criticised for his administration´s failure to end the violence in the state, which is governed by his Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Human Rights Watch has accused the Manipur authorities of facilitating the conflict with “divisive policies that promote Hindu majoritarianism”.