Imphal, August 23: In protest against the killing of two persons by unidentified gunmen yesterday at Wapokpi under Kumbi police station, infuriated local people today submitted a memorandum to the Chief Minister claiming that the slain persons were innocent whose date of marriages are due.

Out of the two slain persons identified as Oinam Binodkumar and Oinam Subash alias Inao of Chingmei Makha Leikai, the former was reportedly picked up from his house by unidentified persons clad in camouflage uniform and carrying sophisticated weapons on August 21 night while Subash was shot death while returning home from college.

According to family members, the wedding ceremony of late Binodkumar was due to be solemnised very soon.

He was an accomplished Kabaddi player having played in National level competitions while Subash was a student of Oriental College, Imphal.

Before submitting the memorandum, local people of Chingmei area and family members took out a rally shouting slogans decrying the killing and demanding punishment of the killers.

The protestors arrived in a bus and descended at Kwakeithel at around 1 pm.

From there, they started the rally organised under the aegis of JAC Against the Brutal Killing of Oinam Binodkumar Singh and Oinam Subash Singh.

While proceeding toward the Chief Minister's bungalow, the protestors were stopped by police personnel at Keishampat Junction.

Only 10 representatives of the JAC and MLA of Kumbi A/C Mangibabu were allowed to go and submit the memorandum to the Chief Minister.

While contending both the slain persons are innocent and law abiding citizens, the memorandum demanded institution of a judicial inquiry into the incident, identification and arrest of the killers in accordance to the law of the land and payment of ex-gratia of Rs 3 lakhs each to the two bereaved families.

The JAC has also made it clear that the bereaved families would not take back the bodies until the demands are met.

Coming out after submitting the memorandum, the MLA conveyed to the protestors of the Chief Minister's assurance to look into the possibility of providing ex-gratia in accordance to the rules as well as on the conduct of judicial inquiry since the killers are not known.

The Chief Minister also appealed to the bereaved families to take back the bodies, the MLA said.

The protestors, however, asserted that the assurance of the Chief Minister should not been taken into confidence without a thorough discussion first.

Consequently, the JAC led the protestors from Keishampat Junction for holding a meeting elsewhere.

Later in the evening, addressing a press conference in this connection at Manipur Press Club here, spokesperson of the JAC Oinam Ibojao said the response of the Chief Minister to the demands of the JAC for a instituting judicial inquiry into the incident, identification and punishment of the killers and payment Rs 3 lakhs each as ex-gratia to the two bereaved families was not satisfactory.

The Chief Minister said that if the Government machineries are involved in the killing then the first two demands can be implemented and ex-gratia can be given before the Shradha ceremony in accordance to the rules if the two slain persons were not involved in any crimes, Ibojao said.

He also appealed to all the underground organisations to come out with clarifications in connection if the killing within August 25.In case of failure people would consider it as an act of terrorism and take a resolution to the effect of not allowing any underground activists in Keibul area.

With talks between the Chief Minister and the JAC failed, two bodies of Binodkumar and Subash are still lying in the mortuary of RIMS Hospital awaiting post mortem.

Meanwhile, Police recovered a bullet-riddled body of a 24-year old youth from Thanga Lawai today morning.

Along with establishing the identity of the slain youth as one Moirangthem Inaoba alias Naoba alias Rocky (24) of Konjengbam of Bishnupur, the body has been handed over to his family members after post-mortem at the mortuary of RIMS Hospital.

According to police source, killing of Inaoba might be connected with the incident of killing of Binokumar and Subash yesterday.

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