IMPHAL, Sep 19: Police and Rapid Action Force (RAF)
resorted to firing tear gas shells and mock bombs as
protesters recently continued to block roads at several places
across Imphal East district and parts of Imphal West district
demanding immediate release of arrested five village
volunteers.
A team of police commandos attached to Imphal East district
police arrested the five village volunteers with arms from a
place in Imphal East district on September 16. They were
currently in the police custody where the Imphal East district
magistrate remanded.
The police alleged that the five persons in camouflage
uniform were arrested with sophisticated weapons. While
demanding the unconditional release of the five persons,
protesters claimed that they were village volunteers taking
part in guarding the villages in the periphery of the valley
districts and the police arrested them on their way back
home.
On the night of the same day on which they were arrested, a
large number of people stormed the Porompat police station
and clashed with the police.
With additional force from the RAF, the police dispersed the
people after around three hours of tussle. Several protesters
and RAF personnel sustained minor injuries in the melee.
Even though the police successfully controlled the people,
the people continued to stage protests by blocking roads
demanding unconditional release of the five persons.
The road blockade hit normal vehicular movement at several
places in Imphal East and some parts of Imphal West district.
Despites efforts of the police, normal vehicular movement
could not be resumed in most of the main roads in Imphal
East district.
RAF personnel had to fire several rounds of tear gas shells
and mock bombs in their bid to reopen the NH-102 at
Singjamei where protesters blocked the highway.
Earlier in the morning, police officers rushed to the site and
tried to convince the protesters to open the highway for
normal traffic.
As they refused, the police called out RAF who resorted to
firing tear gas shells and mock bombs towards the
protesters. Despite the efforts of the police and RAF, the
normal traffic along the highway continued to be disrupted
for the day.
In the meantime, the Coordination Committee on Manipur
Integrity (COCOMI) warned of intense forms of agitations
while endorsing the demand for immediate and
unconditional release of the five village volunteers.
Addressing the media in Imphal today, COCOMI leaders
claimed that the five persons were village volunteers who
took part in guarding the settlement areas in the periphery of
the valley districts where the security forces could not
protect the villagers from attacks by armed miscreants from
the hill side. (NNN)
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