Imphal, Jan. 24: Indo-Myanmar border trade is scheduled to resume tomorrow, with protesters in Moreh calling off their agitation today. This move came in the wake of an assurance that an inquiry would be conducted against alleged atrocities by Assam Rifles personnel.
More than 1,000 women protesters, who were camping on no-man?s land along the international border, also returned home.
The tripartite agreement was reached between Dispur, the Assam Rifles and the protesters during a meeting at Moreh this morning. The decision to call off the agitation came even as three students? organisations observed a 16-hour general strike throughout Manipur to show solidarity with the residents of Moreh.
The border was closed and shops in Moreh remained shut since Saturday, after hundreds of women protesters camped on no-man?s land, demanding that the 24 Assam Rifles outpost be shifted from the town.
The Women?s Joint Action Committee, which was floated by different communities of the town, has accused personnel of the Assam Rifles outpost of unleashing a reign of terror against civilians.
Bijoy Koijam, a Congress legislator who was despatched by chief minister Okram Ibobi Singh to defuse the tension on Sunday, brokered peace by facilitating a memorandum of understanding between the protesters and the Assam Rifles authorities last night.
Representatives of students? organisations, NGOs of Moreh and Brig. R.A. Lewish of the Assam Rifles signed the agreement.
It was decided that the Assam Rifles will order an inquiry against Maj. Atul Yadav and his team, who were accused of assaulting Meira Paibis (women activists) on January 16 and maltreating an apprehended youth, identified as Chaoba Singh, at the outpost the next day.
The Assam Rifles authorities also agreed to transfer the officer from the post.
Other points of agreement included strict implementation of Supreme Court guidelines on dos and don?ts during counter-insurgency operations and involvement of local police personnel during search operations and arrests.
While a section of the protesters accepted the agreement last night itself, most of them rejected it, saying it did not have any provision regarding shifting of the post, the main demand. However, all the women protesters at no-man?s land went home after midnight.
The protesters finally relented this morning, after Koijam promised that the issue of shifting the Assam Rifles outpost would be taken up with the competent authority.
With the protesters leaving no-man?s land, authorities on both sides of the border opened the gates this morning. However, there was no trading activity today, in view of the statewide bandh called jointly by the All Manipur Students? Union, the Manipuri Students? Federation and the Democratic Students? Alliance of Manipur.
An official said over telephone from Moreh that border trade would resume from tomorrow. ?Apart from the bandh, total normalcy has returned to Moreh after the protesters called off the agitation. Shops opened after the bandh ended at 4 pm.?
Life in the rest of the state was crippled as a result of the bandh, which was peaceful. Shops and educational institutions were closed. Transport services were also suspended. Functioning of government offices was also hit by the bandh.
