Manipur continues to burn

Protesters burn CM effigies as ‘quit Ibobi Singh’ campaign reaches fever pitch

Women burn effigies of chief minister Okram Ibobi Singh and his wife MLA Landhoni at Kiyamgei in Imphal on Sunday. Picture by Eastern Projections Imphal, Aug 10 : The campaign seeking resignation of chief minister Okram Ibobi Singh reached a fever pitch today with people taking out rallies and staging sit-ins defying curfew on the eve of Apunba Lup’s mass protest rally tomorrow against the July 23 Imphal “fake encounter”. Ch. Sanjit, a former militant, was gunned down by police commandos on July 23 in what Imphal residents later claimed to be a “cold-blooded murder”. As the police chased Sanjit through a busy road during the “encounter”, a pregnant woman was killed and five shoppers were injured in indiscriminate firing. It is not clear as yet whose bullet, Sanjit’s or police’s, killed the woman. Both Imphal districts, particularly Khurai, Sanjit’s residence, have been on the boil since. Though Saturday was day of peaceful sit-ins, the sound of tear gas shells and mock bombs were heard again today as the police fanned out in various corners of the twin districts of Imphal to disperse protesters. Apunba Lup, on the other hand, continued to mobilise support for tomorrow’s rally in Imphal city to submit a memorandum to Governor Gurbachan Jagat seeking dismissal of the Ibobi Singh government. In anticipation of the Apunba Lup rally, the Ibobi Singh government deployed BSF personnel in Imphal’s trouble spots. A large number of BSF personnel today began taking positions in Khurai that witnessed a two-day street battle between the police and protesters earlier this month. The government has decided not to relax the curfew tomorrow for Apunba Lup’s rally. Though curfew was relaxed from 5am to noon today, protesters chose the curfew hours for demonstrations. However, a group of protesters closed down Khurai Lamlong market when the curfew was relaxed. Another group took out a rally at Kongpal of Imphal East carrying an effigy of Ibobi Singh, before burning it on Porompat D.C. Road, about 300 metres from the deputy commissioner’s office. “Quit, CM Ibobi”, “Punish guilty commandos” screamed the protesters as the effigy went up in flames. Another group took out a rally on National Highway 39 at Awang Sekmai in Imphal West. The police had to fire tear gas shells and explode mock bombs on a group which was trying to burn an effigy of the chief minister at Khonghampat Khunou of Imphal West. They snatched away festoons, placards and materials used in the sit-in. “We had to use tear gas and mock bombs as repeated appeals to end the sit-in fell on deaf ears,” a police official said. Demonstrations were held all over the twin districts of Imphal East and Imphal West, despite strong instructions from the police headquarters to all the police stations to prevent them. As the protests continued, a delegation of the Opposition Manipur People’s Party visited Sanjit’s Khurai Sajor Leikai (Imphal East) home. The delegation, led by party president Nimaichand Luwang, assured the family and the joint action committee formed by Sajor Leikai residents that the party supported the demand for resignation of Ibobi Singh and punishment of the guilty commando personnel. The party gave Rs 2,000 to Taratombi Devi, Sanjit’s mother.