CPI calls 12 hrs general strike in Thoubal district today
Source: Hueiyen News Service
Imphal, January 29, 2012:
The Communist Party of India Manipur (CPI) State Council has called a 12 hours general strike in Thoubal district from 5 am to 5 pm tomorrow in protest against the indiscriminate firing by police personnel while trying to disperse mobs leaving one woman dead and another injured.
Speaking to reporters, CPI State Secretary Moirangthem Nara, who is also a candidate of the party in Wangjing Tentha A/C, said that MSCP candidate Paonam Brojen and his workers have been threatening and assaulting.workers and supporters of CPI.
CPI worker and Zilla Parishad Member T Ratan was also brutally assaulted by MSCP workers after burning his Bolero vehicle by stopping him on his way on January 13.Even an FIR case was registered to the concern police station, police has failed to take up any necessary actions against the assailants, he said.
He also alleged that MSCP candidate Brojen had threatened all the workers of CPI not to act as polling agent in the constituency.
In order to ensure safety of his polling agents, Nara himself along with his escorts picked up the polling agents from the polling stations on the poll day.
When MSCP workers and supporters thronged the house of a CPI worker and began to ransack it while trying to burn it down, the police instead of rushing to the spot to control the mob, fired indiscriminately in other normal areas which resulted in the death of one Moirangthem ongbi Ragini (44) wife of Moirangthem Inaobi from Tentha Khongbal.
She recieved bullet injuries on her chest.
One Moirangthem ongbi Medhabati (32) wife of Moirangthem Devdas from Tentha Heibung also sustained bullet injuries on her thigh due to the indiscriminate and unjustified firing of the pollice personnel, he said.
While terming the incident as a crime against civilians by police personnel, Dr Nara appealed to the state government to investigate the matter.
He also said that it is not the nature of the police force to carry out their duties in favour of a candidate.
Until and unless the police arrest the assailants of T Ratan who burnt his Bolero and assaulted him and take up necessary actions against the police personnel involved in the shooting, CPI will take up further stern stirs against the government, he said.
He also appealed to the people of Thoubal district to extend their cooperation in the 12 hours general strike which will begin from 5 am tomorrow and continue till 5 pm.
Locals of Wangjing Tentha today staged a sit in protest against the indiscriminate firing of police personnel in normal and peaceful residential area.
Meanwhile, the Thoubal Local Council, Wangkhem Local Council and Khangabok Local Council of CPI in a joint statement condemned the act of police of killing one innocent woman and injuring another.
The joint statement signed by its Secretaries, L Nimai, S Ningthemjao and Th Biren alleged that the Election Commission, Thoubal DC and Thoubal Police are not fair and justified in the election in Wangjing Tentha Assembly Constituency.
If the government failed to take necessary actions against the persons responsible for the violence, the state government and the ECI should take the responsibility of any further unwanted incidents in the A/C, it added.