Khangabok residents rise against killing of driver
A few hrs highway bandh leaves several women hurt
Source: Hueiyen News Service

Imphal, May 03 2009: ABOUT TEN persons mostly women were hurt in police action this morning when angry residents of Khangabok tried to impose unannounced bandh suddenly on the Indo-Myanmar road in protest against the killing of a local youth by security forces.

Most of the injured women were sent to the nearby hospital for medical aid.

The incident took place around 7 am today at Khangabok Bazar, a small market located in Khangabok constituency of which MLA is Okram Ongbi Landhoni Devi, wife of Chief Minister O Ibobi after the news of killing a school van driver was published in the newspapers today.

Heart-broken mother of M Manglem, school van driver of KM Blooming School, Khangabok, who was killed by combined force of Thoubal District police commando and 20 AR in an alleged encounter at Langol Meenou yesterday, cries out to police to come and kill her too

Moirangthem Manglem (25) of Khangabok part-III was killed by security forces in an alleged encounter at Langol Minou area, about 5 kilometres east of Kakching Police Station yesterday afternoon.

It may be worth mentioning here that 61 persons including six civilians had been reportedly killed in insurgency related incidents in April last.

Police sources claimed that Manglem was killed in an encounter with a combined force of state police commandos and troops of 20 Assam Rifles while two persons who came along with Manglem in his van had escaped unhurt.

However, rejecting the police claim, the residents of Khangabok said, Manglem, a van driver of K M Blooming English School, Khangabok was arrested by the security forces and killed in a fake encounter.

The irate residents immediately formed a Joint Action Committee against the killing during a hurriedly held public meeting with Kh Kumari in the chair and later a memorandum containing the demands of instituting a judicial inquiry into the incident and punishment of the accused security personnel involved in the killing, etc, was submitted to the Chief Minister, O Ibobi.

Other demands in the memorandum include a suitable job for the wife of Manglem, who is a mother of a two year-old daughter and an ex-gratia of Rs 5 lakhs on or before May 5 .

While their leaders went to Imphal to submit the memorandum, the residents of all ages came out from their homes at Khangabok part I, II and III, and effectively imposed complete bandh from Khangabok to Wangbal sector of the popular Imphal-Moreh road in Thoubal District since early morning.

The bandh was however relaxed from 3 pm following an agreement reached between the striking residents and the state government headed by Chief Minister O Ibobi, local sources said.

"He (Chief Minister) assured us to fulfil most of our demands," a member of the JAC told this reporter.

However another round of meeting will be held in connection with the institution of Judicial Inquiry into the incident on Wednesday (May 6) .

In view of the development, the residents of Khangabok and the family members took the dead body of Manglem for the last rites this evening.