Cops foil rally against barbaric killing

IMPHAL, Mar 2 : An attempt to hold a public rally against the brutal murder of Kasom Khullen SDO Dr Th Kishan, Mondal Y Token and driver A Rajen was foiled by police at Bishnupur today. The mass protest rally was attempted urging for befitting punishment to guilty NSCN (IM) cadres involved in the gruesome cadre and also suspended DC Pankaj Kumar Pal.The abortive mass rally was planned under the joint aegis of the United Clubs’ Organisation Bishnupur District (UCOBID) and the Apunba Lup.At about 10 am, people started assembling at the Yangoi Ningthou community hall at Bishnupur Bazar. As final arrangements for the public rally got underway at about 11 am, a team of Bishnupur police commandos arrived at the spot and declared that no assembly of any crowd would be allowed without permission from the Deputy Commissioner.The police team also asked the Meira Paibis and local club volunteers who have already congregated there to go back. The commandos also took away the mats rolled out for the crowd and mikes arranged for the protest rally. They also stayed back at the area to thwart any further attempt from the people to assemble at the community hall. After turning back from there at the insistence of police commandos, the Meira Paibis and social activists congregated at Bishnupur Thiyam Leikai ground.From there, the protesters led by volunteers of the Apunba Lup, UCOBID and United Villages and Clubs Organisation marched towards Bishnupur Bazar to submit a memorandum to the Prime Minister through the Bishnupur DC. However, they were blocked by police commandos, some distance away from Bishnupur Bazar. The commandos also snatched the festoons carried by the protesters. Yet, some four/five volunteers were allowed to proceed to the DC office to hand over their memorandum.

Beastly act, says UNLF

IMPHAL, Feb 18 : Strongly condemning the brutal killing of the SDO of Kasom Khullen Dr Th Kisan and his two subordinates, Aribam Rajen and Yumnam Loken, the proscribed UNLF said that the abduction and later killing of the three officials cannot be justified on any ground and dubbed it as a beastly act. UNLF takes the incident seriously and strongly condemns it, added the outfit. Of late it has become increasingly clear that certain elements in the hills are hell bent on targeting people from the plains posted or working in the hills, said UNLF and recalled how 5 labourers were shot dead by a hill based outfit at Maphou dam on November 26 last year while another was seriously injured. Such beastly act is nothing but an attempt to sever the ties between the people of the valley and hills, said UNLF and added that this is the handiwork of a few demented minds. It is time for all the right thinking people of the both the valley and the hills to stand together and defeat such an agenda, said the statement and added that actions should also be taken to ensure that such incidents do not recur in the future to bring about a united Manipur. Such incidents occur because of some sick minds, with extremely narrow and biased outlook but armed with lethal weapons, observed the outfit. Such communally minded people armed with guns are being instigated by the security forces to drive a wedge amongst the people of the land, added UNLF. That every action has an equal reaction should not be forgotten by anyone, said the outfit and asserted that those pursuing such devilish agenda will one reap the fruits of pursuing the wrong policies. UNLF on the other hand has claimed that the Assistant Director of SAI Kh Olympic is in their custody for interrogation. Instead of dispensing with his duty to promote sports, the official has been misusing his authority to womanise and forcefully trying to entice a married woman who is running a tea hotel using muscle power. One .38 pistol has also been recovered from his possession, claimed the outfit and added that once the interrogation is over, the findings will be made public.

UCM to PM

Imphal, Feb 18: With regard to the abdution of six Government officials and subsequent selective murder of three of them including Kasom Khullen SDO Dr Thingnam Kisham, the United Committee Manipur has sought intervention of Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh so that the missing three employees are rescued and the truth of the selective murder ascertained from them. In a memorandum, the UCM apprised the Prime Minister that the selective murder had issued a sinister signal of ethnic tension.Asserting that the Government of Manipur, Government of India and the NSCN (IM) should be accountable to the people of Manipur for any future development from the current situation, the UCM demanded that the Government of Manipur and the Union Home Ministry should apologise to the people of Manipur for their sheer neglect and utter indifference to the law and order situation in hill districts of Manipur. Saying that the six employees were abducted from the office complex of Ukhrul DC right after a meeting, the UCM questioned as to why Ukhrul DC Pankaj Kumar Pal did not report the abduction to the Government. It further questioned about the serious altercation the DC had with Dr Th Kishan at the meeting before abduction. Observing that the decade of ceasefire and peace negotiations between Government of India and NSCN (IM) has seen murders, oppressions, illegal maneouvers, abduction and killings in the hill districts, it asserted that activities of functionaries close to the NSCN (IM) have been not to the taste of the peace loving citizens of the State. The rebel group’streatment of James Kuki, the prime accused of Lungnilla Elizabeth murder case, the issue Hubert and Martin on the one hand and ‘velvet-globe’ treatment given to NSCN (IM) by Government of India and the Government of Manipur has been severely disturbing the cordial relations between the hills and plain people for quite long, the UCM noted. It sought intervention of the Prime Minis- ter to ensure that the NSCN (IM) honour its commitment to help justice prevail in the hill districts.

Brutal killing of SDO, two subordinates Kasom Khullen rallies, protests

IMPHAL, Feb 18 : Showing solidarity with humanity and rejecting bestial acts, people of Kasom Khullen today came out in large droves and staged sit-in-protests and took out a rally to denounce the brutal killing of its SDO Dr Th Kisan and his two subordinates Aribam Rajen and Yumnam Loken. From 10 am today, the people of the sub-division, ranging from children to the elderly citizens to the physically challenged ventured out from their homesteads to stage a sit-in-protest against the bestial killing. At 2 pm the grief stricken and anguished people then took out a protest rally from the gate of the Forest Gate till the office of the SDO. As the rally snaked its way through the way from the Forest Gate to the SDO office, the rallyists raised slogans denouncing the brutal killing and demanded that the culprits be punished. The villagers also demanded that fitting punishment be given to the murderers. Young school children who participated in the rally and the others also carried placards, emblazoned with the slogans ‘We want peace, we do not want violence,’ ‘Give peace a chance,’ etc.On arriving at the SDO office rallyists held a public meeting wherein the killing of the SDO and his staff was strongly condemned. The people also demanded the unconditional release of the other three employees whose whereabouts are still not known. After the rally and the public protest, the Kasom Khullen Sub-Division Development adopted a 7 point resolution.The resolutions include; condemning the killing of the SDO and his two staff, the release of the three employees still in the custody of the abductors, to institute a Judicial Inquiry against the killing at the earliest, to book the killers and give them fitting punishment as per law, provide appropriate ex-gratia to the next of kins of the victims, not to repeat such criminal acts on department staff and innocent civilians of the sub-division and to take up any agitation under the aegis of the Kasom Khullen Sub-Division Development Association in connection with case.