The violent incident occurred on Thursday when a team of district administration and Thoubal police went to demarcate the plot of land in Chingkham area for the construction of a police outpost.
TFM Desk
As many as eight individuals, including a woman, sustained injuries after clashes broke out between police and the villagers of Chingkham area of Lilong. Some 15 houses were also affected in the clash.
The violent incident occurred on Thursday when a team of district administration and Thoubal police went to demarcate the plot of land in Chingkham area for the construction of a police outpost.
The people of the surrounding areas led by members of Lilong Chingkham Maya Development Organization objected to the exercise, arguing that the plot of land was a disputed area and a case was pending in the court.
As tensions built between the two sides, police resorted to firing tear gas and mock bombs to disperse the people gathered at Chingkham area. In turn, the protestors pelted stones towards the police team.
Following the incident, the Joint Tribe Students’ Association (JTSA), a conglomerate of AISU, LNKR, RNSOM, ZSOM, announced a “flash 48 hours non-violence economic blockade”, along National Highway 37 from 4 pm Thursday.
The blockade will be imposed until and unless the state government gives assurance in writing and provides assurance that such an “unfortunate and barbaric incident” will not occur in near future, stated a release by the JTSA.
But later in the evening, the student body retracted and suspended the blockade.
“After due intervention from Shri N Biren Singh, Hon’ble CM Manipur and meeting with LM Khaute, DGP Manipur at Nungba Hq today with JTSA in the presence of RNCM, RNLPM and NAVAA, an understanding has reached among all the parties in matter related to the Chingkham (Kabui) Rongmei Village to suspend the declared economic blockade,” stated a release.
The student body also appealed to the state government to speedily expedite all the assurances keeping in mind the safety of every individual and minority community on top priority, without divulging into the details of the ‘assurances’.
JTSA condemned the Lilong Chingkham Maya Development Organization’s (LCMDO) for their alleged illegal activities against the minority Rongmei Kabui and demanded that the law of the land at large should be seriously looked into and dealt with by the government.
The culprits of the crime who led the vandalism at Chingkham Rongmei (Kabui) village should be booked within 24 hours as per law for taking law into his own hands, it demanded.
The student body also appealed to the state government to take stringent action against all individuals, leaders and organisations who tried to create communal tensions which would disturb the peaceful co-existence time and again.
While JTSA also urged the government to immediately and speedily construct the Chingkham Police Outpost at the earliest in a time bound manner, it also urged to construct a boundary line with fencing/identity marks surrounding Chingkham village, so that any encroachment of village land in future can be prevented.
The student body also appealed to deploy round the clock, additional police personnel at the Chingkham Kabui village to protect against any encroachments/threat/illegal activities by the surrounding miscreants.
While maintaining that the LCMDO’s action of vandalising the houses of minority Rongmei (Kabui) was unacceptable and barbaric which is highly condemnable, the student body urged the state government to compensate the vandalised houses and properties by the state government or LCMDO within one week time.
On the other hand, the All Manipur Muslim Students’ Organisations (AMMSO), maintained that the clash occurred between the police and villagers of Chingkham area, after the district administration tried to forcefully demarcate the plot of land in Chingkham Hill.
AMMSO, in a release, also condemned the action of the police which resulted in injuring some of the villagers.
The plot of land has been in dispute after a state government official tried to convert the state owned land into private lands in 2012. Since then, there has been a case pending in the court, it added.
The people of Lilong have never taken any action that might hurt the sentiments of the Kabui brethrens of Chingkham Kabui Khul, AMMSO said.
AMMSO also condemned JTSA for announcing the economic blockade, stating that it was illogical and ignorant of being a student body.