Source: Hueiyen News Service
Imphal, December 18 2010:
Tension was surfaced at Andro Maringthel villager in Imphal east district today when womenfolk of the area rose up against troops of 28 Assam Rifles villagers forcibly rounding up a 21-year old woman without women representatives.
A three-year old child fainted when AR personnel fired some rounds of guns to disperse the mob.
Reports culled out from the village said that troops of 28 Assam Rifles rounded up the 21-year old woman identified as Yumkhaibam Ibemcha daughter of late Y Khoijao of Andro Maringthel today around 11 am.
When no women police was found accompany, a village woman, Chingkham Loitang (45) insisted that she will go with them and she remained hugged Ibemcha close to her.
Some women of the villagers also gathered there and gave strong objection to the effort of the AR to carry away Ibemcha.
AR troopers fired at least rounds of guns in the air to disperse the gathering women and took away the Ibemcha.
In the firing, a three-year old child of Ahanbi fainted.
The AR personnel coming into three Gypsy and a Bolero vehicle leaving the village with the woman was again blocked by some womenfolk at Andro Bazar.
But they could not prevent the AR taking away the Ibemcha.
A village woman who witnessed the incident said that before picking Ibemcha, AR troop among who a Meetei was included came to the village and asked for Yumkhaibam Ibemcha informing that their officer wanted to meet her.
No sooner had they asked another column of AR in a gypsy and a Bolero arrived there and directly entered to the house of Ibemcha and tried to take away her even though no women representatives accompany.
After AR left the place, womenfolk of the village went to the Yairipok police to ask whether she has been handed over or not.
When she was not found there, they again went to Imphal East district police headquarters, Porompat where they were informed that she had been reached around 4 pm.
She has been released as the woman AR searching for was not her.
According to the womenfolk, Ibemcha was at Koirengei for three months for training on weaving and returned back around one month back.