(Combining related stories)

Intermittent firing was reported from Thangjing in Manipur East around 11.45pm on Tuesday.

According to officials, 15-20 rounds of automatic weapon fire was heard before it fell silent.

“The firing was heard around 2km north of Sugnu,” an official said.

Intermittent firing was also reported from Geljang & Singda, both falling in Kangchup area.

“Between 8pm and 9:30 pm, 4-5 rounds were fired from Geljan & Singda areas. It’s speculative fire and not at each other. Distance between the two places is 2 km,” an official added.

Assam Rifles personnel went to both the locations to find out if there were any injuries or casualties.

Meanwhile, in Thoubal district, the Army said that four suspected cadres of the proscribed militant outfit United National Liberation Front (UNLF) were arrested on Tuesday and a 51 mm mortar, an anti-personnel bomb, was recovered.

“Acting on intelligence inputs, a Mobile Vehicle Check Post was established near Police Station Lilong on the night of June 19. Four suspected cadres in two separate vehicles were apprehended with one 51 mm mortar,” the Army said in a tweet.

The four were handed over to the police and have been charged under Section 34 IPC and 25(1-C) Arms Act (Unauthorised possession of arms), the force said.

The Manipur High Court had earlier directed the state government to provide limited internet services in some designated places. The bench noted that internet is necessary for people to carry out urgent and essential work, especially in regards to the ongoing admission process of students.

The order was issued by Justices Ahanthem Bimol Singh & A Guneshwar Sharma while hearing a bunch of Public Interest Litigations seeking restoration of internet services in the state on Friday.

It was, however, made known Tuesday, advocates said.

It has also asked telecom service providers to file affidavits explaining the feasibility of providing limited internet services to the public by blocking social media websites for safeguarding the state government’s concern for maintaining law and order.

The bench has set the next date of consideration for these cases on June 23 and in the meantime, the parties involved have been granted the liberty to exchange their affidavits as they see fit.

The Manipur High Court also admitted a review petition seeking to modify its March 27 order that directed the state government to recommend inclusion of the Meitei community in the Scheduled Tribes (ST) list.

Based on the petition, the court on Monday issued notices to the Centre and the state government, seeking their response.

The review petition by the Meitei Tribes Union (MTU) was admitted for hearing by a bench of Acting Chief Justice MV Muralidharan, who had also authored the March 27 order.

In the order, Justice Muralidharan had directed the Manipur government to reply to the Union Tribal Affairs Ministry on a file related to the request for inclusion of the Meiteis on the ST list.

The high court noted that the Meiteis had submitted several requests for ST status to the Centre from 2013 onwards – a request that was forwarded to the state government for a formal recommendation.

But the state government never acted on it, the high court said before directing it to respond to the Union government.

In addition to this direction, the HC had also said, “The first respondent shall consider the case of the petitioners for inclusion of the Meetei/Meitei community in the Scheduled Tribe list, expeditiously, preferably within a period four weeks from the date of receipt of a copy of this order”

“It is this part of the order that we have sought a modification of. There is a Supreme Court judgment that says inclusion or exclusion of any community is the prerogative of the Parliament and the President. So this direction does not comply with that,” MTU advocate Ajoy Pebam told PTI.

“We have simply asked them to revise the Single Bench order,” he said, adding, “We want the Manipur government to respond to the letter since it is not authorised to grant ST status.”

The high court has now listed this review petition for the next hearing on July 5.