PIB Defence Wing rebuts
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, May 23 2023: Reacting to the news item under the heading 'Manipur Fire Service Personnel Assaulted,' PRO (Defence), said troops of the Army were already in the area tackling a mob that had already set fire to some houses in the vicinity.

The Army personnel were preventing the crowd from the disruptive activity and had requisitioned the Fire Service to douse the fire.

When the Fire Service tenders arrived, they were reluctant to proceed, citing that the crowd was nearby, despite the assurances of the Army that no harm would come to the Fire Service personnel or equipment.

It was under these circumstances that the Army personnel themselves commandeered the Fire Service tender and doused the fire, it said.

The action by the Army personnel was most timely and the need of the hour as they prevented a larger number of houses from being gutted and also contained the spread of fire to other parts of the town, it said.

The dispassionate and non-partisan judgment of the Army in this incident is borne out by the fact that none of the Fire Tender personnel or equipment were brought to harm, it said.

The Army and Assam Rifles are committed to ensuring the return of peace and harmony in Manipur and are committed to working in unison with all departments to achieve that aim, it added.

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