Source: The Sangai Express
Imphal, June 12:
Timely intervention by City Police averted a strike by non-Manipuri residents and traders of Paona Bazar and Thangal Bazar who enraged over the serial killing of non-Manipuris during the last few days, congregated at the Dharmashala in then city and started engaging in forced closure of shops this morning.
The angry crowd was planning to protest the killing of Ram Narayan Gupta, a small time trader yesterday after five non-Manipuris were gunned down on June 7 at Kakching and another at Kumbi on June 10 by unidentified persons.
Hundreds of non-locals residents of the bazar collected at Dharmashala at around 9 am today.
They shouted slogans against run non-Manipuris at Thangal Bazar, Masjid Road and Paona Bazar to close down.
The number of the protestors kept on increasing and several shops have been already closed down when a city police team reached the spot and tried to pacify the mob.
The din finally died down after the police officer and Sardar Prasad Gupta, a trade union leader and a member of the CPI State Council who represented the non-Manipuris brought about an agreement.
Addressing the gathering, Prasad Gupta termed the killings as very unfortunate and said that the non-Manipuris came to the state to earn living as citizen of India.
He asserted that the non-Manipuris were ready to return if they were told that they should not stay in Manipur.
The trade union leader appealed to the gathering not to indulge in any kind of violent activities.
He said that a memorandum against the killings will be submitted to Samata Party leader George Fernandes during the latter�s visit to the state tomorrow.
Copies of the memo will be forwarded to the State Governor and his advisors, he added.
The crowd latter went to the RIMS morgue and collected the body of Narayan after conducting post mortem.