Imphal, September 10, 2009: Within four hours of the withdrawal of BSF troops who were stationed at Nongpok Sekmai Primary Health under Yairipok police station, the PHC was completely razed to ground by suspected insurgents using excavators.

All the personnel of 88 Bn BSF deployed at the PHC were pulled out at 5.30 pm yesterday.

Obviously learning about the troops' departure, around 200 well armed insurgents clad in combat uniform came to Nongpok Sekmai in eight trucks.

Then they razed the PHC building using heavy excavators at about 10 pm.

The BSF troops were withdrawn in accordance to the Home Ministry's plan to re-deploy them at Naxalite affected areas of the country.

Talking to media persons, the local people said that the well-armed insurgents guarded all the roads leading to the village before pulling down the PHC building.

They also cut off electricity besides shutting down mobile phone network in the area.

When the villagers asked the suspected militants not to destroy the PHC, they were not only threatened but their movement was also restricted.

The armed insurgents started demolition of the PHC with their hands.

After sometime, they brought an excavator used in road development work from Ingourok.

Then they forced the operator to pull down the PHC building, the villagers conveyed.

Loud sounds of the demolition work could be heard by the villagers past mid-night.

In March 2007, some unidentified persons set the PHC building afire after bashing up the Home Guards posted there when BSF troops were away on election duty.

Doctors posted at the PHC said that four rooms have been demolished by the militants.

The PHC building was yet to be formally inaugurated though construction was already completed.

Together with the building, two vaccine freezers, sterilizer, microscope, oxygen cylinder, laptop, Xerox machine, almirahs etc worth around Rs 5 lakhs were also destroyed by the militants.

The PHC was providing OPD service every day.

The immunization programme scheduled today has been cancelled as required equipment have been lost.

The doctors said that they need some rooms for normal functioning of the PHC.

On the other hand, decrying the demolition of the PHC, local people staged a protest demonstration near the PHC site today.

They also appealed to local MLA M Oken to open police out post or deploy security forces in places away from health centres.

According to a senior police officer, IRB personnel should be posted at the place vacated by BSF troops.

Taking strong exception to demolition of a public property like the health centre, MLA M Oken has appealed to all concerned not to undertake such destructive activities in future.

He also assured to look into the demands of the villagers in consultation with the Chief Minister.

The MLA who visited the spot discussed about keeping the PHC functional.

Thoubal SDPO N Sanajaoba and the CMO Thoubal also made spot assessment of the demolished PHC.

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