Normal life came to a grinding halt across Manipur’s Imphal Valley on Friday as a 24-hour statewide bandh was observed to protest the alleged custodial death of a 27-year-old resident of Khurai in Imphal East district.

The bandh, spearheaded by a Joint Action Committee (JAC) formed following Khoisnam Sanajaoba’s death, saw complete shutdowns of markets, educational institutions, and public transport in Imphal East and Imphal West districts.

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Roads were deserted, and residents staged demonstrations by blocking key thoroughfares and burning tyres, particularly in Sanajaoba’s native constituency of Khurai. Civil society groups, including the influential Meira Paibis, also joined in with sit-in protests across the Valley, local media reported.

The police orders banned the gathering of more than five people and prohibited the carrying of arms or objects that could be used as weapons.

Sanajaoba was arrested on March 31, along with four others, for alleged links to the banned Kangleipak Communist Party (KCP), a separatist group with a long history of armed insurgency in Manipur.

He was later sent to Manipur Central Jail in Sajiwa on April 10. Just three days later, on April 13, he was admitted to the Jawaharlal Nehru Institute of Medical Sciences in Imphal, where he was declared dead shortly after admission.

While the official cause of death has not yet been disclosed, the JAC and local residents suspect foul play, claiming that Sanajaoba was tortured while in custody.

They have dismissed government silence as “tacit complicity” and demanded a time-bound, impartial investigation.

On April 17, the JAC submitted a memorandum to the Governor listing a charter of demands, including a judicial inquiry and compensation for the bereaved family, but claim they have received no response to date.

Calling Sanajaoba a “village volunteer,” the JAC and other groups have framed the case as emblematic of systemic human rights violations in Manipur.

Friday’s bandh marks an intensification of public protest in a state already on edge. The JAC has warned that unless their demands are met, more aggressive forms of agitation will follow in the coming days.