Internet and mobile data services were suspended for five days and an indefinite curfew imposed in some parts of India’s northeastern state of Manipur on Tuesday after student protests over continuing ethnic strife turned violent.

Indian authorities cut internet access on Tuesday in five districts of Manipur, in northern India, following days of clashes between protesters and the police. The internet shutdown will remain in place until Sunday, September 15, according to a notification by state government of Manipur, India Today report.

The Home Department, government of Manipur released an order to “curb/temporarily suspend internet and mobile data services including Lease Lines, VSATs, Broadbands and VPN services” in the state for five days from Tuesday (September 10) 3 pm to Sunday (September 15, 2024) 3 pm.

The order stated that the order is justified by satisfying conditions like an apprehension of “some anti-social elements” using social media to share images, hate speech and hate video messages to incite “the passions of the public”.

The government of Manipur had already cut internet access last year following the initial outbreak of violence. It was one of the longest internet shutdowns in India.

The state has been in turmoil for over a year due to ongoing ethnic clashes, which have intensified recently, leading to a significant rise in violence and unrest.

Over the past ten days, at least nine people have been killed and several injured as armed groups have conducted drone attacks and launched rockets from makeshift devices. Manipur, home to 3.7 million people and located on the border with Myanmar, has faced severe ethnic strife since May of last year, resulting in approximately 250 deaths and the displacement of tens of thousands. The conflict began when minority Christian Kukis protested against a special status demanded by the predominantly Hindu Meiteis, which would allow them to buy land in areas inhabited by Kukis and other tribal groups.

On Tuesday, police used tear gas to disperse hundreds of students who marched toward the Manipur governor’s residence, demanding a restoration of peace and changes in the state’s security leadership. Around 45 people were injured on this protest, according to a police officer statement.

Protesters gave Governor Lakshman Prasad Acharya a 24-hour deadline to remove the state’s top police official and security adviser for failing to control the violence, the Press Trust of India news agency reported.

Manipur, a state of about 3.7 million people, is governed by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Neither Modi nor his party has commented on the recent violent incidents.