India, May 22 -- Businesses, educational institutions, and markets were shut and public transport remained off the roads in Imphal on Thursday in response to a 48-hour strike call against a directive for the removal of "Manipur" from a state transport bus.

Kuldiep Singh, who was named the state's security adviser as part of efforts to tackle the protracted ethnic violence in Manipur, defended the directive. He said it was a precautionary measure to avoid incidents like the one in Kangpokpi, where suspected Kuki-Zo militants attacked a bus.

The ethnic violence in the state has since May 2023 claimed at least 260 lives and displaced around 60,000. It has forced Meiteis and Kukis to withdraw to their strongholds. The Meiteis, mostly Hindu,...