Imphal, November 10: Head constable PK Rath, of the 121st battalion CRPF, who was on duty at the chief minister's, bungalow on June 18, testifying before the C Upendra commission of inquiry today said deputy commandant H Premjit, who was commanding the CRPF guard detail, gave them the order to open fire on that day.

He testified that on June 18 afternoon, he saw about 10,000 people gathered along the road near the chief minister's bungalow, and said the crowd was very violent and was shouting slogans and pelting stones towards the bungalow.

He stated that as the crowd tried to force their way into the compound, his deputy commandant who was with him near the western gate culled down the sentry posted at the sentry tower to assist them in preventing the crowd from entering the bungalow.

He said the huge crowd pushed through the main gate of the bungalow at around 1:30 pm and forcibly entered inside and won after started burning the buildings inside, vehicles, and residential quarters of the advisor inside the chief minister's bungalow.

Later on when the crowd tried to attack on the security forces present inside and even some of them fried to snatch the deputy commandant's weapon, the deputy commandant himself ordered them to fire in order to disperse the crowd, he also maintained that if there had been no firing by the jawans present there, the mob would have killed the inmates of the .bungalow and looted the armoury of the CRPF.

In the meantime, deputy commandant H Premjit, who was cross examined further today, said the chief minister's bungalow and office complex was one of the most sensitive places of Imphal and none of the CRPF nor any security official visited the CM's bungalow complex between June 14 and till 11 am of June 18.He added that the commandant of his battalion visited the chief minister's bungalow at around 2:30 pm.

He denied the suggestion that the main western gate of the bungalow was not damaged by the mob on June 18, and also denied that the arms which were used in firing on that day were not kept separately, and continued to be issued.

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