GUWAHATI: Protesting extortion and atrocities perpetrated by National Socialist Council of Nagalim's Isak-Muivah faction, the All Manipur Students' Union (AMSU) has called for a 100-hour blockade of National Highway-37 from Saturday midnight.
The blockade was called as the Manipur government failed to arrest some NSCN-IM rebels within 72 hours, a deadline which the AMSU had set earlier.
The insurgents had allegedly forced a group of students and artistes to cough up illegal taxes and assaulted them in Tamenglong district on September 3. The AMSU alleged that the cadres allowed group to leave only after payment of `500 by each of the group members as 'taxes'.
In Imphal Valley, angry members of the AMSU had burned the effigies of Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh, NSCN-IM leader Thuingaleng Muivah and Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh.
The Manipur CM said his government was trying hard to arrest the perpetrators of the crime, but it hardly placated the AMSU.
The protestors demanded that all camps of the NSCN-IM in Manipur be destroyed by the government. The territorial limit of the NSCN-IM's ceasefire with the Centre is within Nagaland. As per the ceasefire ground rules, the cadres must keep themselves confined to the designated camps. However, they also operate in Assam, Manipur and Arunachal Pradesh.
Earlier, the NSCN-IM washed its hand of the incident and termed it as "unfounded" and "malicious" allegation. "It is advised that allegations are not hurled at the NSCN-IM on the basis of mere speculation and suspicion. Elements, desirous of tarnishing the reputation of NSCN-IM and creating problems, are working day and out, for which we must all be very watchful," the NSCN-IM said in a statement.