Local polls end up in infernal feud
Houses torched at Sadar Hills
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, September 19: The demand to upgrade Sadar Hills to a full fledged revenue district and its resultant extension of opposing the holding of the Panchayat election at Sadar Hills resulted in an infernal development, with suspected Sadar Hills District Demand Committee members torching houses at Charhajare today evening.

The torched houses belong to a community which supported the move of the Government to hold the Panchayat election at Sadar Hills, pending its upgradation to a revenue district.

Remains of the shops which were set ablaze by miscreants along NH 39 (efforts being put up to put the fire out)

The SHDDC had opposed the Panchayat election on the ground that hill districts should come under the Autonomous District Council and not under the Panchayati Raj.

When contacted by The Sangai Express late in the evening today, Army spokesman Colonel Rajesh Mishra said that on immediate receipt of the information one column of the 14 Assam Rifles, one column from the AR post at Motbung and another column from Kangpokpi had rushed to the area to defuse the situation.

Our reporters who went there to get a first hand account of the incident, said that at least five pan dukans (Pan shop) located along the highway were found burnt while another 6/7 were found dismantled with the mob turning them upside down.

Fearing reprisals, all the local residents of Charhajare have fled their homesteads.

At the time of filing this report till late into the evening, the CO of 14 Assam Rifles, Colonel Pratik Seth was present monitoring the situation.

A vehicle of the State Fire Service Department which had rushed there was also present till the time of filing this report.

A Fire Service team from Kangpokpi also rushed to the site to meet any eventualities.

The SP of Senapati police as well as the DIG Range III also rushed to the spot and they have decided to stay the night at the place of the incident.

Additional security personnel have been rushed to the spot.

Three Sugar Cane crushers were also consigned to the flames in the melee.

Even before the attack was launched security was provided to the residence of Kedarnath Sharma a Pradhan candidate since morning today.

Sharma's saw mill was burnt earlier.

Security was provided after miscreants set on fire his saw mill as well as his Maruti van yesterday on the alleged ground that he had refused to withdraw his candidature.

As the attackers launched their offensive, policemen on duty fired several rounds in the air to disperse them.

Other than this in Sadar Hills area, supporters of Sadar Hills District Demand Committee burnt at a Jeep at Charhajare and miscreants ransacked three polling stations thus preventing voters from exercising their franchise.

The bandh supporters set aflame the Jeep bearing registration number MN1A-5978 at around 11 am at Charhajare along National Highway 39.The Jeep has been gutted in the fire completely.

All the three polling stations for the Zilla Parishad and Gram Panchayat elections in Charhajare were also ransacked by the bandh supporters who destroyed the ballot boxes and the furniture, thus preventing the electorate from casting their votes.

The polling stations set up at CL Memorial Hindi School and Motbung Goulun School in Upper Charhajare were ransacked by an angry mob compelling the police to open fire several rounds.

The polling station at Shiloi UJB School also met with similar fate.

Unidentified miscreants also tried to set on fire the house belonging to Pradhan candidate of Charhajare Kedarnath Sharma at around 11 am today.

A Maruti Van and a saw mill belonging to Kedarnath had already been targeted by the miscreants three days earlier.

Till the time of filing this report there is no report of any arrest , though security has been beefed up.