Source: The Sangai Express
Imphal, December 20 2008:
Asserting that they have been left in quandary without specifying their positions or duties, Special Police Officers (SPOs) of Heirok who have been staying at Manipur Police Training School at Pangei have launch agitation from today.
Since this morning, the SPOs staged protest sitting in the MPTS complex suspending all their daily activities.
Usually their daily activities included morning drill, PT, other classes and guard duty at night.
In case the State Government fails to look into the matter by tomorrow, a memorandum will be sent to the Union Home Ministry.
The SPOs will undertake hunger strike tomorrow, said one of them while disclosing that preparations have been made for further course of agitation.
The SPOs were set up in Manipur for the first time in North East India in the aftermath of killing two girls and a man and blinding another girl due to injury caused by firing by PREPAK cadres at a Thabal Chongba venue at Heirok Part II Laikon on March 24 last.
The SPOs were set up in response to the Heirok people's outburst and demand for weapons for self-defence.
Subsequently, 300 youths of Heirok were given training for one month at MPTS from June 19.But the training period was extended to three months which was again extended by another three months.
Now the six months training course is over.
According to a statement issued by SPOs, they are being kept in the dark about the exact time when their training course would end.
The authority has also been overlooking their various issues besides maintaining a conspicuous silence on how and where they would be deployed after training.
With some SPOs on leave, around 280 SPOs are currently staying at MPTS.
Informing that they are getting their salaries and some other benefits, the SPOs informed that even as no barrack has been built at Heirok, SPOs are being provided 9 barracks, three barracks for each company inside MPTS.
On the other hand, the proscribed UNLF and KYKL have been imposing restrictions on the movement of Heirok people in connection with the establishment of SPOs.
One Sashikumar succumbed to injuries recently after he was shot by one of the outfits in an apparent case of enforcing their restriction.
Under such circumstances, it is most unfortunate for the Government to remain indifferent to the issue of SPOs, they asserted while questioning whether the SPOs who have been demoralised due to several factors should find a way of survival on their own.
On the other hand, media persons who were seeking comment of MPTS Director P Doungel on the SPOs stir were denied entry and appointment with the Director.