Source: Hueiyen News Service
Imphal, November 18 2009:
Any democratic forms of agitation or demonstration have no heed in the trouble riddled Manipur.
Despite knowing this from pass instants, people continue using sit-in protest- a form of democratic demonstration with the hope that one day both state and non-state actors will response to it.
None of the state as well as non-state actors hear to our democratic form of demonstration, we know but we have no other options.
Are they inviting violent forms of agitation, asked a leader of the womenfolk staging sit-in protest at the Khurai Thangjam Leikai in Imphal east demanding save release of two officials of the state electricity department.
The sit-in-protest staged at Khurai Thangjam Leikai demanding the early and safe release of two employees, including an EE, of the department who were abducted by cadres of UPPK, an underground group on Rs 15 crore demand from the department.
Thangjam Tomalchand (58), an EE in the Electric department and Leitanthem Mangi (55), an SO in the Tamenglong division of Electric department were kidnapped by the cadres for ransom on November 6 last.
Section Officer Leitanthem Mangi of Kongpal Chanam Leikai was kidnapped by cadres of United People Party of Kangleipak (UPPK) on monetary demand of Rs 15 crore from the department along with executive engineer, Th Tomalchand of Khurai Thangjam Leikai.
Slogans like, "Lets stop kidnapping people for ransom, no to kidnapping culture, stop habit of taking ransom, don't individualized demand to department to some individual, now time has come to know the feeling of people," were written in the placards displayed at the protest sites.