Imphal, March 14: Even as thousands of mourners came out on the street to pay their last respect to the departed soul of Kh Tejkumar, who was killed under questionable circumstances by the Assam Rifles, a number of enraged people went on the rampage and damaged some shops at Thangal bazar and Paona bazar forcing the shopkeepers to down shutters.

Trouble started when a stubborn man in an Ambassador car, tried to force his way through the blockade put up at Nagamapal.

The blockade was put up to protest the killing of Tejkumar.

As the driver was persuaded to turn back, he reversed the car in a fit of fury and hit a bike which was parked nearby.

Thereafter enraged people came out and smashed the car inflicting extensive damages.

The trouble soon spread and people who had come out to pay their last respect to the departed soul went on the rampage and forced the shops at Thangal bazar and Paona bazar to close down.

A shop keeper at Thangal bazar informed this reporter that a number of youths armed with cricket bats came to his shop and without any prior warnings started smashing up the furniture of his shop.

Miscreants also ransacked the make shift shops of some radio receiver traders at Shamumakhong.

To quell the mob, police commandos rushed to the area and had to open blank fire to bring the situation under control.

Clarifying on the matter, the convenor of the JAC, Y Kapoor said that none of the JAC members were involved in the acts of vandalism.

The youth leader further said that the JAC has not taken the blank firing by the police lightly and added that the JAC would think of further course of action.

Earlier, before the trouble broke out, the mourners comprising of the JAC formed against the killing, meira paibis and students took the body of Tejkumar in a procession before it was consigned to the flames at the crematorium located at Uripok Maharani Bridge.

The body was put to the flame at about 1 pm.

Enroute to the crematorium, the mourners burnt the effigies of the Governor, Chief Minister Law Minister and the Commandant of 9 Sector Assam Rifles, Brigadier EJ Kochekkan to condemn the killing of the student.

The JAC had also up a blockade on the Uripok-Kangchup road.

The blockade was however removed by the police at about 4 pm.

Even as the funeral service of Tejkumar was on, meira paibis of Tera staged a sit-in-protest against the killing of the young man.

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