Hundreds of students from various schools and colleges conducted the drive against shopkeepers selling goods at higher prices and alleged the businessmen for taking advantage of economic blockade on the national highways.
Students insisted the shopkeepers to sell the goods at the prices fixed by them. However, shopkeepers rejected saying that they would suffer a heavy loss as freight charge of goods has been tripled since the commencement of the blockade.
Shopkeepers claimed that goods in their stocks before the commencement of economic blockade had already been exhausted and they procured the goods at much higher freight charge from outside the state.
As the students continued to press the businessmen to sell the goods at the price fixed by students, heated argument erupted between the shopkeepers and students until a strong team of city police rushed and intervened. To put the situation under control, police detained at least 53 students including 21 female and 32 male and took them to police station around 11 am on Tuesday.
Following police detention of students, women vendors of Ema Keithel (Women Market) rose up demanding immediate release of students which affected normal business activities in Imphal city. Police foiled the protest rally before reaching the city police complex.
Later, city police released the students without any condition after a talk between the police officer on duty and agitating women vendors.
With the economic blockade carried out by the SHDDC demanding a full fledged Sadar Hills district and the counter economic blockade by UNC in full swing, prices of essential items has been sky rocketed in Imphal markets.
Currently, potato which was cost around Rs 13 a kg has gone up to Rs 50, onion to Rs 60 per kg against Rs 20. The prices of different varieties of dal have also gone up considerably.
Arhar (kangtak) price has shoot up at Rs 43 per kg, pea nut at Rs 39 a kg, Musori-Rs 48 per kg, Black Bean-Rs 54 a kg, Moong-Rs, Chana at Rs 52 and Badam at Rs 100 per kg, etc.