Imphal, July 13: The Manipur cabinet has convened a special session of the Assembly on Wednesday to withdraw the controversial Manipur Regulation of Visitors, Tenants and Migrant Workers Bill, 2015.

The cabinet today fixed the date for the special session after a stormy Congress Legislature Party meeting yesterday urged the government to withdraw the bill. Accordingly, the Okram Ibobi Singh government took the decision to withdraw it.

The move followed five days of intense clashes between supporters of the inner-line permit system and police in the curfew-clamped Greater Imphal area. The clashes and curfew were triggered by the death of a Class XI student, Sapam Robinhood, in a police crackdown on protesters on July 8. The indefinite curfew was imposed immediately after.

Despite the curfew, clashes between the police and protesters continued in many parts of the city.

"The state cabinet has fixed July 15 as the date for the special session of the Assembly to withdraw the bill and the Assembly issued a notification convening the session," an official said.

The Assembly had passed the bill, which is in the process of getting the President's assent, on March 16. The bill was first sent to governor Syed Ahmed, who reserved it for the President's assent.

The official said the special session is likely to decide on the introduction of a fresh bill. The ILP issue had rocked the last Assembly session, which concluded on Friday.

The bill proposes to get the names of visitors, tenants and migrant workers registered with a proposed directorate of regulation of visitors and tenants, which would be set up after the bill becomes an act.

The Joint Committee on Inner Line Permit System, a citizen's conglomerate, which has been spearheading the ILP agitation, has rejected the bill and demanded another with adequate provisions to safeguard the indigenous people and implement the ILP.

Today, peaceful sit-ins were staged during a nine-hour curfew relaxation period till 2pm. The protesters continued to defy curfew and burnt tyres on the streets of Imphal. They also blocked roads at various places outside the curfew area.

The students' union of Ananda Singh Higher Secondary School demanded an inquiry into the death of Robinhood, who was a student of the school.

The union's general secretary, S. Surjit, slammed the government for not discussing Robinhood's case when it met yesterday to decide on the special session of the Assembly. He also demanded reopening of schools in the Greater Imphal area that were closed by the government indefinitely from Thursday.

A public joint action committee, formed in connection with the death of Robinhood, today organised a blood donation camp in association with the blood bank of the Regional Institute of Medical Sciences to help protesters injured in the police crackdown.

Thounaojam Chaoba Singh, president of the BJP's Manipur unit, demanded a judicial inquiry into Robinhood's death and befitting punishment for the police personnel responsible for it.

The student died after a tear gas shell fired from close range hit him on the face.