Tangkhul bodies threat to impose state wide bandh
Source: Hueiyen News Service
Imphal, March 08, 2014:
Two Tangkhul based organisations have threatened to impose 48 hours Manipur bandh from midnight of March 11 if the State Government fails to rescue or the abductors do not release the two labourers of an Assam based construction agency.
Addressing the media today, Tangkhul Naga Aze Long Phang (apex body of southern Tangkhuls) and Kasom Khullen sub-division Development Association said a meeting yesterday at Chakama village had decided to impose Manipur bandh in collaboration with several organisations if the two labourers are not released by March 11. The two Tangkhul organisations then alleged in the area where the two labourers have been kidnapped, there already occurred eight incidents earlier and in all these cases the Kuki militants were involved.
In this incident too, the Tangkhul bodies suspect the Kuki militants to be involved.
"For decades the State Government has been neglecting the roads in the area when the Asian Development Bank had sanctioned money to construct the 49.7 km doubled-lane road from Thoubal to Kasom Khullen.
As a result, such disturbance has occurred," rued the two Tangkhul bodies.
They also expressed their sadness over the indifferent attitude of the State Government over the incident.
"The State Government chooses to remain mute when such thing is happening here," they said.
The two labourers of a Guwahati based construction agency have been abducted by suspected militants in the wee hours of March 2 from Manipur's Ukhrul district.
This incident came to light following a complaint lodged at a police station by one Dilipkumar who is a senior manager of the construction agency ABCI Infrastructure Private Limited on March 3. According to the police source based on the complaint lodged, six masked men believed to be armed entered the makeshift camp of the labourers at Somrei village under Ukhrul district around 2 am that day.
The masked men after few minutes took away JCB operator identified as one Deboshis Mondal (30) s/o Shyamsundar Mondal of Suri village, West Bengal and Roller operator Ch Ajit Sinha, also 30 years, s/o Ch Arun of Rabvir Ghat Part-2, Cachar, Assam.
Along with the two labourers there mobile phones and ATM cards have also been taken away by the kidnappers.
According to the police, there were 19 labourers engaging in the construction of the road from Thoubal to Kasom Khullen in Ukhrul district.
Though Somrei village falls under Ukhrul district, the place is under the jurisdiction of Yairipok police station, Thoubal district.
The spot where the incident had occurred is just 10 km east of the police station.