Manipur News

IMPHAL, July 13 NNN: An accused in an 11-year-old girl rape case was presented before the court of Chief Judicial Magistrate, Imphal East which sent him to seven-day police custody on Saturday. The alleged rapist Kangujam Loken, 50, a resident of Phaknung Mamang Leikai under Lamlai Police Station in Imphal East district was arrested by the district police yesterday on the charges of raping the minor girl.
The court remanded him to seven-day police custody for further interrogation in connection with the incident. The accused allegedly raped the girl, who is related to him by blood in Phaknung Mayai Leikai on July 5. He had been absconding until he was arrested by the police on July 12.

Read more / Original news source: http://manipur-mail.com/rape-accused-produce-before-court/

Imphal, Jul 13 UNA: Self styled home secretary of Kuki Liberation Organisation (KLO)/Kuki Liberation Army (KLA), a signatory of the suspension of operation agreement with Centre and state, Lh Seikhohao Khongsai (33) was Saturday assassinated by unknown gunmen who also wounded his two and a half year old daughter and his driver.
His wife Mansaunnei escaped unhurt in the ambush laid by the gunmen who opened fired towards the vehicle in which the home secretary was traveling with his family. The family was returning to their native village Saikul in Senapati district after shopping in Imphal this afternoon.
The ambush took place around 3.30 pm near a culvert at Champhai village on the Imphal-Saikul road. Home secretary Seikhohao succumbed to multiple bullet injuries at the spot.
His two and half year old daughter Hoizoukim who was hit by a bullet in her belly has been rushed to Shija hospital, Imphal where her condition was stated to be critical.
The driver of the home secretary received a bullet in his thigh in the ambush and admitted to a hospital in Imphal.
According to the driver Alen Khongsai, the unknown gunmen who suddenly appeared in front of the vehicle while crossing the culvert on the road opened fire several rounds of guns towards the vehicle.
After he was hit by a bullet, he jumped down from the vehicle and ran away from the spot for his safety. He had seen at least four/five gunmen appearing in front of the vehicle, the driver added when asked the number of gunmen involved in the ambush.
The daughter was in the lap of the home secretary when the gunmen laid the ambush.
Police was yet to establish the suspects behind the assassination of the self styled home secretary of the KLO/KLA maintaining suspension of operation with the security forces under a tripartite agreement with the Centre and state government.
The area where the ambush took place was dominated by the KLO/KLA and considering the operational area of Kuki based militant groups, it was hard to establish the group which could be behind the ambush, a police officer said.
The KLO/KLA is one of the constituents of 12 militant groups of Kuki National Organisation which have entered tripartite suspension of operation with Centre and state government for peace talk.

Read more / Original news source: http://manipur-mail.com/klokla-home-secretary-killed/

Imphal Jul 13 UNA: Failure on the part of the authority of the Manipur government to clear their pending honorium for 12 months, anganwadi workers and helper under the Central sponsored Integrated Child Development Scheme Saturday threatened to launch a series of agitations.
The threaten was came up barely a day after a workshop held in Imphal has exposed the deplorable state of anganwadi and ICDS centres opened in the state and negligence of the of the implementating authority of the scheme in Manipur.
A statement of the Anganwadi Workers and Helpers Union Manipur said that the Union ministry of women and child development had informed a delegation of the union led by its general secretary B Vijayalaxmi  that all due for the ICDS Manipur has been sanctioned.
It said the CDPOs and supervisors of the ICDS of the state has been fooling the anganwadi workers in the state saying that the honoraria could not be dispersed as no fund was released from the concerned Union ministry in total contrast to the information provided by the ministry officials.
The Anganwadi Workers and Helpers Union Manipur would convene a meeting of the union tomorrow (Sunday) at Imphal’s Irabot Bhavan at 1030 am to discuss the course of agitation to be launched by the union.
On the other hand, a highly reliable source said that the honorariums of anganwadi workers and helpers could not be dispersed as the state finance department failed to issue necessary authorization order for releasing the pending honorariums.
Honorariums for the workers and helpers of anganwadi centres set up under ICDS was to be dispersed from the state social welfare department as the department is the nodal agency for implementing the scheme in Manipur.
Although due correspondence has been made within the government for releasing the pending honorarium, there was a little progress in the official procedure, the source disclosed.
Till October last year, the total number of Anganwadi centres in the state was 9795. Workers and helpers of these 9795 Anganwadi centres have not been getting their monthly honorarium since May last year. As such, their honorarium has been pending for the past 14 months.

Read more / Original news source: http://manipur-mail.com/anganwadi-workers-and-helpers-threaten-stir/

Imphal Jul 13 MNS/UNA: A rally to protest against the crime on women and children jointly organsied by conflict widows forum, Manipur, SSA, women empowerment for justice, willage women co-ordinating committee, Heinoubok. Awang women welfare assn, united club development platform and khwairamband keithel lambi potpham phambi lup was taken out in Imphal after a meeting was held at Lainingthou Lai Awangba Shanglen today. M. Brajishori Devi member, CWF said, security forces which are meant for protecting people from enemies were involved in crime on women and child. It is very unfortunate.
The meeting has taken some resolutions which included among other things, repeal AFSPA 1958 from Manipur, punish those who committed crime against women, to provide compensation to victims, frame charge sheets.
A memorandum with regards to rising crimes against women and children and prolong imposition of AFSPA, 1958 in Manipur was submitted to the chief minister of Manipur by the rallyists before concluding with a public meeting at Lainingthou Awangba Sanglen at Khurai, Imphal East district.
Copies of the memorandum were also faxed to the offices of the President of India, Prime Minister and Union home minister.
The memorandum while highlighting many instances of crimes against women and children in the state in the recent time, alleged the root cause of these crimes was the prolong imposition of AFSPA, 1958 in the state.
It further said that number of government appointed committees and groups such as Justice Jeevan Reddy Committee, the Administrative Reform Commission, the Working Group on Confidence-Building Measures in J&K and Justice Verma Commission have recommended for repeal of AFSPA.
However, government has been remaining silent without considering the recommendations and drew the attention of the President, Prime Minister, Union home minister and state chief minister in this regard.
After submitting the memorandum to the chief minister, the rally made an U-turn and converged at Lainingthou Awangba Sanglen at Khurai where a meeting was followed.
Leaders of various civil organizations who spoke at the meeting strongly condemned the increase in crimes committed against women and children in the state, saying that such barbaric nature of perpetrators of crime is very unfortunate.
They further suggested the need for divine punishment, asserting that it would be more severe than punishment awarded under laws of the land.
The National Crime Records Bureau says more than 24,200 rapes were reported in India in 2011, or one every 20 minutes, the leaders asserted, adding that as per a recent UNICEF survey, despite changing values in the young generation, 57 percent of Indian males between the ages of 15 to 19 contend domestic violence against women.
About 53 percent of females within the same age group feel the same, on par with rates of women from older age groups, they added.
A leader of the Conflict Widow Forum said the rally was organized to protest against lack of concern and attention to the ever increasing crime committed against women and children by Central and state government.
She criticized both the governments at the Centre and state for remaining stiff silence over the matter despite the hue and cry of the all section of the society, particularly from the women.
She informed that copies of the memorandum submitted to the state chief minister would also be forwarded to the opposition leader Sushma Swaraj, Manipur Governor and also to the state home minister.

Read more / Original news source: http://manipur-mail.com/organisations-demand-safety-of-women/