CHURACHANPUR — Schools and colleges were closed, markets were shut, and vehicles remained off the roads as the hill areas of Manipur witnessed a total shutdown on Tuesday. The 13-hour shutdown, which began at 5 am, was called by the Kuki-Zo Council to “express our collective grief and solidarity for those who were brutally shot dead” in Jiribam on Monday. Also read: 11 militants killed in gunfight with security forces in Manipur’s Jiribam The Manipur Police said 10 suspected militants were killed in a fierce gunfight with security forces on Monday after insurgents in camouflage uniforms, armed with sophisticated weapons, fired indiscriminately at the Borobekra police station and an adjacent CRPF camp in Jiribam district. However, a senior government official put the toll at 11. No untoward incident was reported from anywhere in the Kuki-dominated hill areas during the shutdown, officials said. Schools and colleges were closed, and markets and shops were shut down in most places. Public transport was unavailable and private vehicles remained off the roads. Government offices also remained closed. Various Kuki-Zo organisations targeted the central forces, seeking an investigation into the events that unfolded in Jiribam. In a statement, the Kuki Students’ Organisation (KSO) said, “…no...