Police drive irks shopkeepers
Source: The Sangai Express
Imphal, April 29 2016 :
In line with the authority's instruction which asked all shops of Paona Keithel to install electric lamps in front of their shops, Imphal West District Police carried out a drive.
However, the drive bred serious grievances among the shopkeepers and they pulled down their shutters in protest this afternoon.
A team of Imphal West commandos went around Paona Keithel shops at around 11 am today checking whether any shops were not complying with the authority's instruction to install electric lamps.
Shops which have not yet installed electric lamps in their front portions were asked to pull down shutters.
As some shopkeepers questioned the diktats of the commandos, an altercation ensued and some salesmen were physically assaulted by the commandos.
Incidentally, Sagolband AC MLA RK Imo came to Paona Bazar the next moment.
He asked the shopkeepers if commandos assaulted any civilians and also to identify the commandos who assaulted the civilians.
One salesman said that police commandos were assaulting some of them and he volunteered to call the commandos who assaulted them.
But he was overheard by the commandos and he was taken away.
Even though the salesman was released at around 3 pm, shopkeepers downed their shutters for the day in protest against the alleged high-handedness of the commandos.