Source: The Sangai Express
Imphal, October 11 2008:
Decrying monetary demand served by some persons who identified themselves as activists of the proscribed UNLF to one Laitonjam Jatishore of Irengband Sabal Leikai and subsequent threat to eliminate all the family members if the demand is not met, Meira Paibis, students and representatives of various clubs today staged a Wakat Meepham at Irengband.
Placards inscribed with demands for withdrawal of the monetary demand and threat and allowing the family members of Jatishore to live in peace were put up during the protest demonstration.
According to Laitonjam Ongbi Sunderi (35), wife of Jatishore, who participated in the Wakat Meepham, her husband and other members in the family used to lead a peaceful life until the night of June 6 this year when some security personnel came to their house and picked up her husband charging him to be the project officer of the proscribed RPF.
Minutes after the security personnel left the house taking her husband along with them, sounds of gun firing were heard and later on the local people went to inspect and found out that the person shot dead was one UNLF activist identified as Raju of Charangpat Irengband Sabal Leikai.
After this incident, a youth who identified himself as an activist of UNLF came to their house on June 14 and gave a telephone number asking Jatishore to make a call for talks.
Four days later, on June 18, three more persons also came to their house and demanded to know why Jatishore had not made the call.
Charging that Jatishore was a informer and was responsible for the death of the UNLF cadre in the June 6 firing, the three visitors also demanded that Jatishore pay the price of the expensive weapon that the security personnel had recovered from Raju on that day and warned of eliminating all the family members if the demand is not met, Sunderi recounted.
When she intervened to clarify that her husband had no connection with the incident, the armed persons threatened to kill her too saying that there is no reason why she should be spared just because she is a woman, Sunderi continued.
After remaining quiet for many days, the family members of Jatishore received a fresh telephone call on October 4 directing to come down to Yairipok and hand over the money within October 10 .
However, as a joint meeting of the Meira Paibis and the local clubs decided not to concede to the demand, none of the family members had gone to Yairipok.
Jatishore is said to the founder secretary of Scholar English School at Irengband as well as the secretary of Irengband Development Association.