IMPHAL, Dec 2 MNS NNN: Prohibitory orders were clamped at Thoubal district since late this morning following the volatile situation in the district. Burning of tyres, piling of logs on the roads and stoning of commuters marked today’s Thoubal district bandh.
\nThe atmosphere in the district highly charged after 10 am today as the news of Huirongbam Manichandra, 59, of Thoubal Wangma Taba who was injured when one police bullet hit in his belly yesterday, succumbed to his injuries this morning at Shija Hospital at around 7. Manichandra was hit by the police bullet during the protest on Saturday against the killing of Yanglem Naoba alias Bisheswor by unknown persons on Friday morning.
\nIndefinite Thoubal district bandh called by the Joint Action Committee (JAC) against the murder of Yanglem Naoba has been underway since Saturday. There has been another bandh in protest against the disappearance of Nitin Masih, a resident of Indore, Madhya Pradesh. These two bandhs have been crippling normal activities in the Thoubal district including the movements of traffic along the Imphal-Moreh road.
\nThis morning at around 9:30 am, there was a public meeting at Thoubal convened by the JAC of Naoba murder. Wife of the chief minister who is also an MLA, O Landhoni Devi turned up in that meeting to calm the irate public. While she was appealing the gathering to suspend their bandh saying that the injured Manichandra would be taken care off by the government, someone in the meeting broke the news of Manichandra’s succumbing. At this turn, the public attending the meeting erupted in anger and the meeting could not proceed further. Intense agitations were witnessed henceforth in various places of Thoubal district after 10 am.
\nThe district administration has no other option but to clamped CrPC 144 as a pre-emptive move.Thoubal bazar, Thoubal Mela Ground, Thoubal Moijing, Thoubal Ningombam, Thoubal Kyam Siphai are some of the places where intense agitations were witnessed.
\nEven at this degree of protest, not a single tear gas shell or rubber bullet was used by the police today.In Many places, the protestors were seen tussling with the police.Meanwhile, the JAC of Nitin Masih has extended its bandh for another 12 hours.
\nThis JAC had announced for a 12-hour Manipur bandh from 6 am today. The bandh did not have much impact in larger parts of the state, save for Thoubal district.
\nNitin is a native of Indore in Madhya Pradesh. He was reported missing November 24 evening from his wife\u2019s village Kakching Pallel Lamkhai in Thoubal district.
\nMeanwhile the Centre for Organisation Research & Education (CORE) Manipur condemns the reported Manipur Police continuing to conduct their duties in a brutal and extrajudicial manner that is unacceptable according to strictly enforceable national and international norms, guidelines and principles of law enforcement. This amounts to summary or extrajudicial killing of a peaceful protestor exercising his legitimate democratic rights in a self-acclaimed democracy.
\nThis summary killing exposes an assumed erroneous and illegal direction that the Manipur Police seems to be acting under. And such direction, if it exists, should be made known to the public. Section 129 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC) provides that if protestors of an unlawful assembly do not disperse, they, if necessary, are to be arrested and confined. If it is still not possible to disperse, the CrPC further provides that the law enforcement personnel should use \u201cas little force, and as little injury to person and property, as may be consistent with dispersing the assembly and arresting and detaining such persons\u201d, with the authorisation by the Magistrate. The CORE demands to see direct and incontrovertible evidence that a magisterial order was given before the police personnel resorted to firing of live rounds directly at the protestors in Thoubal Wangmataba on 1st December 2012.
\nThe CORE urged the Home Minister of the Government of Manipur to sincerely keep his word when he committed to wide-ranging police reforms at the time of taking his oath earlier this year and take an immediate incontrovertible stance with regard to police conduct in cases of assumed unlawful assembly in Manipur. The illegal action of the police must be investigated in accordance to established departmental and governmental procedures, and the erring persons booked according to the law. Appropriate compensation and solatium must be awarded to the family survivors of the victim of police and state violence.<\/p>\n\n