Locals bar eviction drive, five injured
Source: Chronicle News Service

Imphal, September 14 2022: An eviction drive in Imphal East district village no.11 Laipham Siphai could not be carried out as locals in large number came out and protested against it.

Five people including a policeman sustained injuries in the confrontation between locals and police.

Acting on an order of Manipur High Court, District & Sessions Court issued an order on September 12 to clear all structures from an area of 0.06 acres in a schedule land in Imphal East district village no.11 Laipham Siphai on Wednesday.

The schedule area included school compound (north), lane (south), homestead of Thangjam Chura Singh and Khumbongmayum (O) Thagoi Devi (east) and main road (west).

An eviction team along with police came to the area for eviction on Wednesday morning but they were confronted by the locals, who objected to the eviction.

Despite consistent attempts by the eviction team, the eviction could not be conducted due to intense protest.

To control the irate protestors, police fired tear gas shells as the protestors retaliated by pelting stones.

During the ensuing melee, five people including a policeman sustained injuries.

Wangkhei A/C MLA Thangjam Arunkumar arrived at the spot and talked with the protestors after which the standoff ended.

Speaking in this regard, conducting counsel of the case M Swanalata informed that after the case contested in the court since 1972 came to a conclusion, the court's order could not be implemented.

They came to evict the area acting on the High Court order, but it could not be done like previous times.

It is unfortunate that the court's order was not honoured by the locals, she added.

Meanwhile, Chingmeirong Mamang Awang Leikai Singlup secretary Khumbongmayum Thangamba said that elders of the locality have been fighting the case as a person tried to grab the land using fake patta (land document) claiming that their family had settled in the said area.

Even though they claimed to have land in Chingmeirong, they cannot identify exact location of their so-called land plot, he claimed adding that in 2019 too, an eviction team returned empty handed as the schedule area was wrong.

Locals of the area came out as the reason for evicting the public ground used by people of Chingmeirong irrespective of the community is illogical, Thangamba continued, while asserting that not an inch of land should be lost.

They will move to the higher court if required, he added.

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