Manipur govt orders employees to attend offices amid shutdowns

The Manipur government has directed all its employees to ensure attendance at offices despite ongoing street protests and multiple shutdowns that have severely disrupted normal life across the state.
An order issued by Chief Secretary Dr. Puneet Kumar Goel on Sunday instructed all administrative secretaries and heads of departments to monitor attendance in their respective offices and submit reports to the concerned administrative departments. The directive warned that departmental proceedings would be initiated against employees absent without authorized leave. District deputy commissioners were also tasked with ensuring the functioning of offices under their jurisdiction.
The order came in response to thin attendance in government institutions over the past few days, attributed to intense protests and a five-day total shutdown called by local women’s groups (meira paibis), civil society organizations and a joint action committee (JAC) formed after the recent Tronglaobi terror attack that claimed the lives of two children. Despite government appeals, the shutdown entered its second day on Monday, closing markets and businesses while leaving roads deserted as protesters blocked key routes.
State Home Minister Govindas Konthoujam had earlier appealed for the strike to be withdrawn, citing public hardship and noted that the government had agreed to most of the JAC’s demands.
Meanwhile, the United Naga Council (UNC) has announced a separate three-day shutdown in Naga-inhabited areas from April 20 to 23, protesting the killing of two Tangkhul civilians in an ambush in Ukhrul district on April 18. The incident, blamed on Kuki militants by Naga-based CSOs, has further heightened tensions in the region.
Adding to the unrest, Zomi civil society groups declared a shutdown in Churachandpur on April 22 over alleged delays in justice for the late BJP MLA Vungzagin Valte. His burial has been withheld pending government acceptance of demands raised by the Zomi Council.