Protest staged against missing school boy
Source: The Sangai Express
Imphal, July 04 2012:
A large number of women, school teachers and students demonstrated at Takyel area in Imphal West today demanding the immediate release of a 13-year old boy who was allegedly taken away by rebels to recruit him as a child soldier.
Though there have been reports of child soldier recruitment in the past few years, a large number of outfits operating in the State have flatly denied the reports saying that they respect and follow international laws.
On April 7, Aheibam Johnson, a standard VII student was taken away from his Takyel Kolom residence by one Kanhai, a local youth who has past record of being linked with an underground outfit, said Purnimashi Devi, the boy's grandmother.
Incidentally Johnson's uncle, a cadre of an underground outfit, was gunned down by police commandos in February 2009 .
Kanhai kept Johnson at the residence of his friend namely Lamphel at Changangei village after which the whereabouts of schoolboy became unknown the following day, Purnimashi said adding that both Kanhai (30) and Lamphel (50) too left their residences.
"A few days after my grandson went missing, I was indirectly informed by an underground group that he (Johnson) was in its custody and that he would be freed very soon," said an emotional Purnimashi, who adopted him after his father died and the mother left.
"I fervently request the rebel group concerned to free my grandson at the earliest.
He is too small to join any rebel group.
I want him to study," she said.
Johnson's classmate and relative Aheibam Umakanta said was he was lured by Kanhai to join a rebel group on April 7.Purnimashi said both Kanhai and Lamphel were arrested by the police for being underground cadres recently.
Montu Ahanthem, secretary of Wide Angle, a childright NGO, too urged the outfit to release Johnson.
"Since the underground organizations in Manipur respect International laws, we hope the boy would be released very soon," Montu said.
Besides Takyel Kolom womenfolk, students and teachers of Budhimanjuri School of which Johnson is a student, and members of Wideangle also joined today's protest demonstration.