IMPHAL, AUG 18 : Manipur chief minister Mr Okram Ibobi Singh’s cup of woe is brimming over as civil society organisation continue relentlessly to demand his resignation over the 23 July broad daylight shooting incident in which a pregnant woman and a former militant was killed.
The chief minister, currently in New Delhi to attend the chief ministers' conference on Internal Security has so far relented to the extent of instituting a Judicial inquiry instead of the Magisterial probe he had earlier decided on. However he has run into a dead end with the Chief Justice of the Gauhati High Court refusing to spare a working Judge on the ground of paucity of judges
With overwhelming graphic evidence of the 23 July incident published by Delhi-based weekly Tehelka revealing the incident to be a fake encounter, the state government has been put on the defensive, forced to clamp curfew to keep the agitating public indoors.
The Apunba Lup, a conglomeration of several civil societies, have called a two day Manipur bandh from 5 p.m. of 18 August. Hundreds of Apunba Lup activist and supporters and general public have been storming police stations since yesterday courting arrest en masse.
The Apunba Lup in a press statement released today vowed to continue its agitation demanding ouster of Chief minister Okram Ibobi. The group also castigated the Centre for failing to take action against Ibobi.
Disturbances in the hills in Manipur are also adding to Ibobi Singh’s woes as Ukhrul district has erupted over what locals called the extrajudicial killings of two NSCN(IM) cadres by Assam Rifles troops at Sakok and Phalang villages in Phungyar sub division on 12 august.
A hill district bandh has been imposed by several Naga organisation from today till 19 August to protest the killings. The Assam Rifles have however denied the charges and said the militant cadres fired at the troops first.
Meanwhile a peeved Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh is reported to have asked Mr Ibobi Singh to meet him after the chief minister’s conference being held in New Delhi today. In his inaugural address to the Chief Minister’s meet on internal security today, Dr. Manmohan Singh set the tone for the upcoming meeting.
“The Government of Manipur needs to put in place appropriate mechanism for increased participation of people in development projects. Assam and Manipur accounted for a disproportionately large number of violent incidents reported from North East with the latter’s (Manipur) share being as high as 30%” the PM has been quoted as having told the chief ministers by Manipur Information centre
The Prime Minister also said there was need to rely more on the state police rather than on paramilitary forces. He asked the state government to get its act together.
Meanwhile capital Imphal continues to be under curfew from evening 5 p.m. to 5 a.m. Sit-in-protests at several places also continue throughout the day.