70-year-old street vendor assualted
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, July 02 2014: Various form of atrocities including physical assualt and destroying of goods were meted to the street vendors frequently by the police as well as by the licence holder vendors and as a part of such action, a 70 year old street vendor was physically assaulted today by a licence holder vendor and the victim was rushed to RIMS casualty for medical treatment.

In this matter, an eye witness account was made by another street vendor.

The eye witnesstold that Thangjam Yaimabi Devi of Moidangpok Mamang Leikai was today pushed on the street by one woman who dealt fruit vendor in the Purana Bazar after having torn the plastic of Yaimabi on the charge of selling business items on the street.

Unable to withstand the force of the pushing, Yaimabi flatten herself on the street laying her face upward and remained motionless.

In the mean time, the same woman assualted Yaimabi at her head alledging that it was a pretention, she narrated and further mentioned that Yaimabi had started selling fruits and vegatables on the street when she was 17 year old.

When interacted Yaimabi at RIMS, she informed that she sensed the snatching of her plastic and then he flatten on the street facing her face upward and became uncontious.

Reacting to the incident, the Khwairamban Keithel Lambi Mataida Potpham Phambi Lup and Women Action for Development have condemned the incident and further charged that Govt of Manipuris waiting to kill each other between Street Vendors and licence holders.

It may be mentioned that a 60 year old street vendor was also assualted blue and black in 2013 by one Purana Bazar licence holder.

The street vendors are selling their business items pitifully in other to earn their livelihood for which the police have frequently dispersed them by destroying their goods.

In addition to it, they were also facing fierce verbal assualt from the licence holder vendors.

The women leader further expressed that atrocities against the street vendors both by the licence holder and police has now become unbearable and continued that such incident should be avoided in the future.

The street vendors said that they will retaliate in befitting manner in case such act of assualting street vendors are happened in the future and also urged the Govt to intervene on the issue.

The WAD secretary Sobita Mangsatabam expressed that the activity of street vendosr is lawfull and also mentioned the directive of the Supreme Court to make division of the market into town vending zone.

She further demanded to discuss the issue of street vendor in the coming assembly session.

She further expressed the concern of the street vendors and their family condition.

She also charged that the Government has dispersed the street vendors when the Governor and other dignitaries were visiting the ImaKeithel which indicates that Govt considers street vendors as liabilities.

Furthermore, a daughter of Yaimabi stated that they will not tolerate the assualt anymore and also expressed her displeasure that one leader of the market Mangi Devi has asked them to negotiate the matter by offering one bag of rice along with some amount.

The president of the street vendor Bina Devi urged the Govt of Manipur and Imphal Municipal Council to look into the matter so that such incident could be avoided in the future.

She also mentioned that Govt has assured to provide 2000 licences to the street venders in the proposed market sged to be constucted at the space of the Tombisana High School but it is not implemented yet and also asked the reason for not using the spaces of the three Ima Keithels.

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