Khurai residents rise, block roads
Source: Hueiyen News Service
Imphal, August 02 2009:
Residents of Khurai areas in Imphal East district, who have been remaining silent after the Chief Minister, O Ibobi had said that the young pregnant woman, Rabina Devi was killed in indiscriminate firing by Chungkham Sanjit while trying to escape from the police commandos, today rose in anger after reading the news reports and seeing the photographs published in the Imphal-based newspaper today.
Residents of Khurai Sajor Leikai, where the slain Sanjit hailed from, on seeing the report and photographs reproduced from Tehelka news weekly in today's editions of state newspapers, started spilling out into the streets voluntarily leaving behind their daily chores.
The residents gathered in groups on the Tinsid road and started shouting slogans like "Resign lier Chief Minister, give befitting punishment to the killer police commandos, we do not agree with giving gallantry awards to commandos who kill innocent people in fake encounters" etc.
The local residents then blocked the Tinsid road preventing movement of all kinds of traffic by piling up logs, branches of trees, garbages, lining up under garments of women and phaneks across the road and burning worn out tyres on the road from around 10.30 am till evening.
Later, hundreds of men and women marched upto Lamlong bazar where they were stopped by police before they could reach the market area.
Police resorted to firing tear gas and other mob dispersion shells to prevent the protestors from reaching Lamlong bazar from the Tinsid road side.
Imphal east SP, Th Radheshyam with additional commandos of his district also assisted the police in the effort to put the protestors under control.
Protestors in return to tear gas and mob shells hurled stones and also used catapult towards the police which led to a brief clash between the police and the protestors.
The exchange of stones with tear gas shells continued till late evening.
However, no casualty has been reported so far.
Later, the locals formed a Joint Action Committee with Th Anita as the convenor and resolved to launch different forms of agitations.
Speaking to media persons, Convenor Anita said, the exposure made by Tehelka and the statement given by the Chief Minister in the Assembly showed that O Ibobi is backing the police commandos in killing people in fake encounters.
The JAC will not allow conduct of magisterial inquiry into the incident which was ordered today.
Judicial inquiry should be conducted to find out the truth of the incident.
Responsibility of any untoward incident arising out of non-fulfillment of the demand at the earliest should be the sole responsibility of the government and the Chief Minister, she warned.