5 hurt in protest against 'boycotted' MLA's visit
Source: Hueiyen News Service
Imphal, June 19 2011:
Tension surfaced at Yairipok Singa village in Thoubal district when five persons, four women and a man, sustained injuries in an alleged firing by the police to control a crowd attacking Wangkhem MLA, K Meghachandra.
The MLA received strong objections from the villagers who are boycotting him over alleged irregularities in the issuance of MGNREGS job card distribution and distribution of PDS items in the village.
The MLA went to the village to convey his shock to his active worker, Md Maniruddin Moulubi, whose straw pile was reduced to ashes in a fire on Saturday night.
The fire was doused by the villagers after it spread to his kitchen partially damaging it.
Villagers were on a sit-in protest when they received news of the MLA's visit.
When he arrived, villagers mostly womenfolk blocked the road in a bid to prevent the entry of the MLA around 1.30 pm, local reports said.
The situation turned violent when some of the villagers started attacking the MLA and his entourage with stones and other arms.
Thoubal police who were already informed about the prevailing situation in the village arrived and resorted to firing in a bid to prevent the villagers attacking the MLA.
Some bullets were also fired from the villagers' side, according to local reports.
Four women and a man sustained injuries in the police efforts to control the crowd.
They were evacuated to Thoubal district hospital where they were given first aid and then, referred to RIMS hospital and Public hospital, Hatta.
The condition of one of the injured women, Tombi Bibi (57) wife of late Haji Sangai of Yairipok Singda at RIMs hospital was stated to be critical.
She received multiple bullet injuries in her left arm, reports said.
In the escalating violence the house of Md Maniruddin was set afire by the villagers.
They also ransacked components of a water supply scheme in the village.
District authority has promulgated restrictions under section 144 of CrPC in and around the village to prevent escalation of the violence.
Civil police have also been detailed in the village, reports added.
Villagers of Yairipok Singa, mention may be made, have been boycotting the local MLA for allegedly failing to address their grievances.
They alleged malpractices in the issue of MGNREGS job cards like making job cards in the name people who died more than six years back by the Pradhan of the area.
The irregularities were detected when the Pradhan distributed job cards to the villagers after lodging a complaint with the Thoubal DC in April this year.
Before that they asked the local MLA to address to their plight but they got no positive response.
It was only after they brought up the matter with the Thoubal DC that the Pradhan Md Abdul Helim and Members of the three wards of the village on May 16 distributed job cards which they had kept in their custody without distributing them to the villagers, villagers alleged.
Alleging that apart from depriving their rights to get jobs under MGNREGS, they have not received Public Distribution System items.
They had pleaded to the MLA to address the problem but instead the MLA filed a case against the villagers which made the villagers deeply anguished and they began boycotting him since the last one month.
Comment
