Imphal, Jul 16: Tamenglong A/C MLA Samuel Jendai and his escort party allegedly beat up sub-contractor Horiyang Sinang, who is in charge of repairing/constructing the Noney-Haochong Road, apart from threatening to shoot two labourers with his pistol and setting the temporary shed of the labourers on fire at around 1.15 pm yesterday.

Efforts to contact the MLA to get his side of the story proved futile as his mobile phone was switched off and there was no ring tone in his land line.

Talking to reporters in connection with yesterday's incident at Noney today, Horiyang Sinang informed that the MLA and his escort personnel came to the work site at Basahoi Chemthwei, located some 5 kms towards Noney along the 12-km long Noney-Haochong road, while the labourers were about to resume their work after the morning meal.

Without giving any reason the MLA first snatched the umbrella being carried by the sub contractor and starting beating him up with it and later threw a rock at him hurting him below the left knee, Horiyang said.

Seeing action of the MLA on the defenceless sub-contractor, a labourer identified as Arjun Kamei , a relative of Horiyang, who was engaging in jungle cutting nearby rushed in to intervene.

But the MLA whisked out his pistol and pointed it at Arjun threatening to kill him right there, the sub-contractor recounted.

"Afterward the MLA ran amok with his weapon after one bull dozer driver identified as Singhajit and me.

But as we managed to escape and hide elsewhere no untoward incident occurred," Horiyang said.

Later on, as MLA did not know whom to target, he went along with his escort personnel went to a temporary shed of the labourers located some one and half kilometres toward Noney side and set it on fire, Horiyang charged, adding that they also put salt inside the oil tank of the bull dozer.

After pouring all the 100 litres of diesel and other lubricant oil kept inside the shed, the MLA lighted the match and set the shed on fire while telling one of the workers to inform others that it was the Tamenglong MLA who did it all, Horiyang said, adding that all the commodities including oil, ration, utensil, clothing, etc kept inside the shed have been destroyed in the fire.

Tamenglong Block Congress Committee Aching Gonmei who also talked to the reporters in connection with the yesterday's incident said his party and the people of the district strongly condemned such act of goondaism carried out by a responsible elected representative.

A written complaint has been lodged with the Noney PS in connection with the yesterday's incident today, Aching informed.

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