Manipur: Protester Shot Dead During Clash with Security Forces in Jiribam

IMPHAL:
A protester was shot dead during a clash between security forces and a mob in Manipur’s violence-hit Jiribam district, officials said on Monday.

A police official in Imphal said that a youth identified as K. Athouba (21) was killed in firing on Sunday night, and who actually fired the bullet is under investigation.

However, protesters claimed that the Manipur Police special commando fired to disperse the mob, and the youth was killed in the firing and two others were injured.

The police official said that the mob was attacking and vandalising properties of various leaders’ houses and political party offices on Sunday night.

The official said the angry mob first vandalised properties at Babupara and then continued their attacks and arsoning in other areas under Jiribam police station. They were protesting the killing of three women and three children abducted by militants on November 11.

The offices of the Congress, BJP, Shiv Sena and the houses belonging to Jiribam’s Independent MLA were ransacked by the mobs, comprising men and women.

Except for the Jiribam district, no major incident was reported from any other district in Manipur since Sunday night.

The Manipur government also closed all educational institutions for two days — Monday and Tuesday — in the curfew-bound five districts — Imphal East, Imphal West, Bishnupur, Thoubal and Kakching.

An order issued by Daryal Juli Anal, Joint Secretary (Higher and Technical Education Department), said that in view of the curfew imposed by District Magistrates in many of the districts and considering the safety of the students and teachers, all the government and government-aided educational institutions, including state universities in these districts where curfew has been imposed, shall remain closed for two days — November 18 and 19.

As the widespread attacks and protests started, authorities imposed a curfew for an indefinite period in Imphal East, West, Bishnupur, Thoubal and Kakching districts of Imphal Valley “due to developing law and order situation”.

Chief Secretary Vineet Joshi on November 16 ordered the suspension of mobile Internet and data services in seven districts — Imphal West, Imphal East, Bishnupur, Thoubal, Kakching, Kangpokpi, and Churachandpur — for two days from Saturday evening.

In the extensive violence and attacks by angry mobs on Saturday and Sunday, more than two dozen houses of ministers, MLAs and political leaders and offices of political parties were attacked and vandalised by mobs in several districts, especially in Imphal East and Imphal West districts.

This followed the recovery of six dead bodies in Jiribam on November 15 and 16.

The six bodies, which are yet to be identified by family members, are believed to be of the three women and three children missing since November 11 in Jiribam district.

The bodies, found on November 15 and 16 near the confluence of the Jiri and Barak rivers along the Manipur-Assam border, were brought to the Silchar Medical College and Hospital in Assam for post-mortem examinations.

Manipur Police earlier said that in a November 11 encounter with the CRPF, 10 suspected Kuki militants were killed while in another incident, militants kidnapped 10 people, all belonging to the Meitei community and inmates of a relief camp at Jakuradhor in Jiribam district’s Borobekra sub-division.

A police official said that during the search operations after the incident in Jakuradhor village, two bodies of elderly civilians — Maibam Kesho Singh, 75, and Laishram Barel, 61 — were found.

He said that another person was found alive and rescued and another civilian came back on his own to the police station while six people — three children and three women — remained untraced.

Meitei organisations claimed that the Kuki militants kidnapped three children and three women before they were brutally killed in captivity.