The Manipur government on Thursday lifted a ban on internet broadband services that had been imposed in five districts of the Imphal valley three days earlier, reported The Hindu.
Broadband services have been allowed in the districts of Imphal East, Imphal West, Kakching, Thoubal, and Bishnupur. Mobile internet services, however, will remain suspended.
An indefinite curfew imposed in Imphal East, Imphal West and Thoubal on Tuesday will remain in place.
Social media websites and virtual private networks will also remain blocked, according to PTI.
A virtual private network, or VPN, allows users to mask their location and browse the internet without divulging their search history to the internet service providers by using remote servers. The tool is often used by investigative journalists and ethical hackers to access websites that are banned in their countries.
The order by the state home department said that broadband services were reinstated because the internet ban was negatively impacting offices, remote workers, health facilities and internet-based services for citizens.
The Manipur government had suspended internet services in the five districts on Tuesday, a day after thousands of students protested in front of the state secretariat and Raj Bhavan seeking action against those responsible for recent drone and missile attacks.
The police said that the protests in front of the Raj Bhavan, the residence of the Manipur governor, turned violent. Thirty-three persons have been arrested and seven minors have been apprehended for allegedly participating in violent protests.
Manipur has been gripped by ethnic clashes between the Meitei and Kuki communities since May 2023. At least 237 persons have died and more than 59,000 persons displaced since the beginning of the clashes.
Health centre torched in Jiribam
A group of unidentified persons set a primary health centre on fire in the Jiribam district in the early hours of Thursday, PTI reported. No injuries were reported as no one was in the centre at the time.
Jiribam had largely been free of ethnic violence till June, when a 59-year-old Meitei man was found murdered.
On September 7, at least seven persons were killed in gun violence between Meitei and Kuki groups in a remote area of the Jiribam district.
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