Underground organisations boycott Pranab's Manipur visit - The Hindu

At least seven major underground organisations in Manipur have boycotted the one day visit of President Pranab Mukherjee on Tuesday.

The combined state and the union forces have been unable to check the insurgency-related violence in this border state. Planting of bombs and in some instances blasts had become the order of the day. The rebels behind these spurts of violence were not accounted for.

During his brief visit to Imphal the President will attend the convocation programme in Manipur university. He is scheduled to arrive on Tuesday morning by a special flight and leave for Delhi the same afternoon.

The Corcom, the apex body of the six proscribed underground organisations, in a statement said that a boycott is imposed on the visit. It has declared a general strike in the entire state from 6 a.m. till 6 p.m.

Though law enforcement officials told The Hindu that these outfits do not pose much of threat, they claimed that the people had distanced themselves from such organizations. Meanwhile, security measures have been beefed up in and around Imphal on an unprecedented scale. Police say that several rebels were rounded up. In the last drive, two women who are said to be members of the United Revolutionary Front were held.

Home Minister Gaikhangam Gangmei is personally supervising the security measures.

PTI adds:

Police sources said random checking of passersby have been launched at various places around Kanchipur area, the location of the university, about five kilometre from capital complex to detect movement and infiltration of the militants.

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