Cops prise open shops to help X-mas shoppers
Source: The Sangai Express
Imphal, December 22 2011:
Amid appeals from various section to relax the ongoing general strike in view of the Christmas festival, State police teams today broke locks of various shops in Khwairamband Keithel areas to facilitate purchase of goods.
Armed with hammers and crowbars, police teams from around 8 am today prised the locks and asked shop-owners to resume their normal chores with the assurance that security cover would be provided to them.
Many shop-keepers spotted near their shops were asked to voluntarily open the shop.
The police drive covered Thangal Bazar, Dharmshala, Allu Galli, Gambhir Singh Shopping Arcade and Paona bazar.
Conveying apprehension that disruptive elements might target them for defying their bandh/general strike call, some shop-keepers even argued with the police personnel whether they could guarantee security cover round the clock in the future also.
Police officers who were present at the drive assured that security personnel would be deployed at the commercial areas till late in the evening.
It may be mentioned that shopping activities for the Christmas festival is being severely affected following a 62-hour bandh call given by a KCP-MC group from December 21 evening to protest the killing of Irilbung water supply scheme chowkidar S Ibomcha and his son Yaipu alias Geetchandra by activists of KCP-MTF (Kesho meitei) group.
The agitation duration has, however, been shortened by a day.
The bandh call was preceded by 24-hour general strike enforced by the JAC on the same issue.