Imphal: At least 10 internally displaced persons (IDPs) and five students staying in Akampat relief camp in Manipur were following police action who allegedly fired tear gas shells, rubber bullets, and lathi-charged hundreds protesting in Imphal valley, people aware of the matter said.
A protest was held on Thursday by people displaced by the ethnic violence in the state, demanding their resettlement (HT Photo/Sourced)
A protest was held on Thursday by people displaced by the ethnic violence in the state, demanding their resettlement. The IDPs are staying in the relief camps after they were displaced after the incident on May 3 last year. The rally was abruptly halted by state forces soon after the protestors exited the camp’s gate in Imphal East, said the people.
The rally, initially intended to head towards the chief minister’s bungalow at Babupara in Imphal, prompted a significant deployment of state police personnel in the area to prevent the march.
As the protestors began their procession, they were met with loudspeaker warnings from the state forces, followed by a barrage of tear gas shells aimed at dispersing the crowd.
According to the people, Manipur Police fired several rounds of tear gas shells, mock bombs, and live rounds in the air to control the agitators who tried to overpower the police while the protestors retaliated by pelting stones, in which at least 10 IDPs fainted due to suffocation and were evacuated to a nearby hospital for first aid. Meanwhile, five students of S Chaoba Memorial English School, residing near the Akampat relief camp, also fainted due to suffocation from the tear gas shells, said the people mentioned above.
The school is located around 200 meters from the relief camp along Singjamei Kongba Road, Imphal East district. The students were also evacuated to a nearby hospital for first aid.
One scribe of a local cable TV channel, who was trying to cover the incident, was allegedly assaulted by a Manipur Police sub-inspector. After the scribe identified himself as media, the police personnel tried to snatch his phone, a video of which was captured by the scribe.
Another group of IDPs, under a banner reading “Mass rally on rehabilitation of IDPs,” chanted slogans such as “send us back to our home,” “We do not want free food from government,” and “implement NRC immediately,” heading towards CM’s residence.
The protest was organised by the Committee on Protection of Meitei Victims, Moreh.
The protestors demonstrated a rally heading towards the CM’s residence by banging utensils, but were blocked by the police at Singjamei Chingamathak, about four kilometers from the CM’s residence. The protestors continued their protest by blocking the Indo-Myanmar Highway-2 (Imphal-Moreh) road.
One of the protestors, Thangjam Budha Meitei of Moreh, residing in a relief camp, said the IDPs have been suffering for the last over 15 months. IDPs are demonstrating the protest and demanding that the Manipur government make necessary arrangements so they can return to their homes.
Later, the protestors dispersed from Singjamei Chingamathak, Imphal West, after staging around two hours of sit-in protest by blocking the highway to their relief camps.
The incident was raised in the state assembly by opposition MLA K Ranjit Singh. Thokchom Satyabrata Singh, the leader of the House, said the Manipur government is also taking necessary measures to restore peace in the northeastern state. He mentioned that there is a suspicion that some groups are trying to instigate the IDPs by politicising the issue for their own benefit.
At present, the government cannot send the IDPs back to their homes as it does not want to take any risks, Satyabrata Singh said, adding that peace talks are still continuing in Silchar and that the outcome might be known within a few hours.
Images are for reference only.Images and contents gathered automatic from google or 3rd party sources.All rights on the images and contents are with their legal original owners.
Comments are closed, but trackbacks and pingbacks are open.