All police stations in the four valley districts of Manipur have been put on alert after the banned Kangleipak Communist Party (Military Council) again called for all migrant workers to leave the State.
Director-General of Police Y. Joykumar has ordered the Superintendents of Police to intensify patrolling in the trouble-prone areas.
Relief camps with soup kitchens are kept ready to accommodate migrant workers in case of any attack.
Chief Minister Okram Ibobi, who also holds the Home portfolio, said that being Indians, the migrants could stay and make a living in Manipur. He feared that should there be any attack on migrant workers, many Manipuri students and professionals living in other States would be targeted.
The deadline set by the Kangleipak Communist Party (Military Council) expired on April 4. There is a sigh of relief as there has been no bloodshed. However, the outfit recently said its quit notice is still there.
Meanwhile, hawkers and daily-wagers have stopped going to interior areas without enough security measures. Rajesh Kapoor, a migrant and candidate for the Imphal Municipal Council elections, has appealed to the voters not to vote for him. At the behest of an insurgent group, he has retired from the contest. But he could not withdraw his nomination papers as the last date is over. Mr. Kapoor told journalists that as asked by the outfit, he had shut down his dry-cleaning unit here.
