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At least 100 persons were injured as police resorted to lathi-charge and fired teargas shells to control thousands of anti-ceasefire protestors who defied curfew and took to the streets all across Manipur on Saturday.
Reports said sixty of the injured were women.
In a massive show of strength, protestors blocked all roads leading to the Imphal airport forcing the beleaguered Union Minister of State for Home Affairs I D Swami and Additional Secretary in the Union Home Ministry P D Shenoy to be airlifted to the airport, official sources said.
The minister was to submit a report on the situation in Manipur to Union Home Minister L K Advani on Saturday evening, the sources added.
The Central team led by Swami took the views of different sections of the people, including politicians, lawyers and academicians, they said.
The six-party United Committee of Manipur spearheading the anti-ceasefire agitation boycotted the Union minister saying their demand was 'immediate withdrawal of the ceasefire'.
Earlier, mass sit-in protests were reported from Wangkhei, Kongba, Nongmeibung, Mantripukhri, Wahengbam Leikai, Malom, Singjamei, Moirangkhom, Liberal college area at Luwang Sangbam and New Cachar Road.
Manipur has been witnessing protests ever since the Centre announced that the ceasefire with the Naga militant outfit NSCN (I-M) had been extended for one more year.
Assam Rifles and police personnel dispersed crowds at Babupara, Uripok and some other places in Imphal after people began sit-in protests, sources said.
The UCM had appealed to the people for large-scale participation in the mass sit-in protests against the ceasefire.
Massive protests were also reported from various parts of Thoubal, Bishnupur and Churachandpur districts.
At Lamsang in Imphal West district, over 3000 women launched sit-in protest defying curfew, a report said.
Various social organisations in separate statements said they would support the ongoing agitation till the withdrawal of the ceasefire from the boundaries of the state.
They said passing a resolution in Parliament to protect the state territory would not calm down the people because such resolutions can be revoked any time and the demand of the people of Manipur, they said, was 'withdrawal of the ceasefire'.
The organisations included various women's groups and student bodies.
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