MSF volunteers thrashed in restaurant drive, three injured
Source: Hueiyen News Service

Imphal, April 26 2012: In a bizarre incident, volunteers of Manipuri Students Federation (MSF) who were on a drive to flush out immoral activities carried out inside dark room restaurants of the state, were beaten by the owners and families of restaurants using sticks and pelting stones.

At least three volunteers were seriously injured in the incident.

They have been admitted at RIMS for treatment.

The injured volunteers of MSF have been identified as Aheibam Boynao (28), General Secretary of MSF from Kongba Kshetri Leikai; District Information Secretary, Imphal East, Keisham Romeo from Chanam Sandrok and Executive Member, Imphal East, Taorem Arunkumar, also from Chanam Sandrok.

The three volunteers received injury on the head, eyebrow and heels.

The incident occurred at Sagoltongba today afternoon in a restaurant named "Lake Dweller" when the volunteers of MSF along with a team of media persons went to inspect the restaurant.

MSF volunteers K Romeo (L), T Arunkumar(C), A Boynao who faced the ire of a restaurant owner

The volunteers of MSF and the owner and family members of the restaurant had some tiff.

The tiff started when the volunteers and media persons took pictures of the restaurant where they witnessed small rooms of two seat capacity separated by ply wood where one could not see the other in the adjoining small room.

The rooms had also extended further to the house of the owner.

The volunteers suggested to break open the walls and make it visible to all those who visit the restaurant.

Then suddenly, the daughter of the owner of the restaurant went out of the restaurant shouting for help.

By then the tiff started to grow wild as the family members of the restaurant's owner began pelting stones to the volunteers of MSF.

In the act three volunteers of MSF and the owner were hurt.

The owner has been identified as one Shamu.

He is the President of All Manipur Restaurant Association.

The media persons who were also present at the scene also ran off from the scene after they were chased by the family members of the owner of the restaurant, taking them to be volunteers of MSF.

However the situation was cooled down with the intervention of the local people and timely intrusion of the Patsoi police.

All those involved in the act has been detained by the police for further interrogation.