Source: Hueiyen News Service
Imphal, July 24 2009:
The death of a young pregnant woman and injuries to five persons including two women at Khwairamband market yesterday were caused deliberately by police commandos in an attempt to disrepute the liberation movement, the Revolutionary People's Front (RPF) has said.
GM Changjou, Chief of Department of Publicity, RPF today stated in a press release that yesterday's incident was very unfortunate.
The incident happened when the police commandos opened indiscriminate firing in the crowded market while trying to nab a person.
It was a drama of fake encounter that had been played by Manipur police commandos of the puppet government of Ibobi to please its masters, the press release stated.
It further said that yesterday's incident happened when a team of police commandos tried to arrest a youth by whisking out a gun around 10.30 am near Shamu Makhong.
The youth jerked off the gun of a commando and ran away.
The police commandos opened fire and chased him.
The stray bullets of the police commandos hit the young pregnant woman killing her and other five persons injuring them, the press release stated.
GM Changjou stated that there was no encounter between an armed person and the police commandos that morning.
But there is an incident in which the police commandos opened fire.
It is also important to find out whether the deceased, Chungkham Sanjit of Khurai Kongpal Sajor Leikai, whom the police commandos shot dead on the ground that he refused to surrender to the police, was the same man whom the police commandos were chasing or had come to the place for a different work, Changjou opined.
Because the police commandos had earlier showed the pistol allegedly recovered from Sanjit to media persons before killing him saying that it was found lying in front of a shop in the Gambhir Singh Shopping arcade, the press release added.
It said, it is very unfortunate that the Opposition MLAs in a surprising move simply endorsed the statement given in the House during the ongoing session by Chief Minister Okram Ibobi who also holds Home portfolio regarding the incident without even demanding an inquiry into it.
It was an attempt to project the liberation movement in a bad light before the people, Changjou asserted and added that it has destroyed the true interpretation of democracy.
This deserves condemnation, GM Changjou observed and maintained that it is most essential to find out the truth of the incident.
Without thinking even for a moment and without knowing the truth, supporting the cooked up report of the Chief Minister is an act of irresponsibility of the MLAs who are the representatives of the people.
It was an attempt to cover up the guilt of the police commandos and blame the revolutionaries thinking that the people will not realise the truth and will simply believe what the police say, the RPF contended.
People know the truth, but fearing that one may become victim of the presdent day fake encounters, they are not opening their mouth, the press release pointed out.
Saying that indiscriminate firing among the public and killing many innocent souls is all created by Ibobi, GM Changjou charged that turning their guns at the innocent civilians by the police who are supposed to protect them is Ibobi's act of misguiding the police.
Changjou accused the Chief Minister of creating gangs of police commandos and that most of the crimes happening in Manipur are perpetrated by the gangs of police commandos.
Police personnel from whom the Chief Minister had taken lakhs of rupees in appointing them are trying to regain the huge amount of money they had paid and in the process the people are forced to suffer, Changjou alleged.
He also alleged that allowing the police commandos or other security forces to kill anyone who has been arrested without trial is authorised by Ibobi.
It is also under his permission that police, who are meant for protecting the civilians, are ending several people's lives.
Yesterday's incident was probably a game plan of the Chief Minister to bring back AFSPA 1958 to the municipal areas.
Because taking advantage of the incident, what the Chief Minister had said in the Assembly is very unfortunate.
It is also unfortunate that he had said in the Assembly that it is known who instigate the relay fast being organised daily in solidarity with the world reknowned Irom Chanu Sharmila's agitation, the press release stated.
His statement that Delhi had asked him if he was promoting the insurgents by removing AFSPA from seven Assembly segments is an attempt to reimpose AFSPA in these Assembly segments to continued additional drama, the press release stated.
On the other hand, the RPF termed the speeches of the MLAs in the Assembly yesterday as unfortunate.
Regarding what they had said about "cleansing", the RPF asked, from who should the "cleansing" start.
If they say that the movement will be finished by killing, who are those persons whom they would be killing, the RPF asked.
So many people have already been killed and how many more people are going to be killed, the RPF asked the Chief Minister.
Yesterday's incident has nothing to do with the PLA, the press release said and clarified that Chungkham Sanjit @ Momo @ Chingkhei (27) was earlier a PLA cadre but had retired from 2006 due to an illness.
Since then he had been staying at his home.
Don't such retired persons and living as civilians have a right to live ? How many more people will the police commandos be allowed to kill in order to cover up their mistakes by the Ibobi government, the press release and clarified that the deceased was not a member of RPF/PLA.
While condemning yesterday's incident, the RPF are condoled the death and injuries of the innocent persons.