Imphal, March 16 2009: With four underground activists killed by the security forces last night in two separate insurgency related incidents, at least seven persons said to be underground members were killed during the five-day Yaoshang festival.

The number of persons killed in insurgency related incidents during the Yaoshang festival was the same with that of last year (2008). But the only different was that most of the people died during last year Yaoshang were civilians killed by undergrounds elements.

At least seven people including four women were killed in separate shootouts that occurred at night time during the five-day Yaosang festival last year (2008) including three including two girls died in an indiscriminating firing at a Thabal Chongpham by a cadres of a particular underground group at Heirok in Thoubal district on the night of fourth day of the festival.

Out of the four suspects reported killed last night, three were gunned down by the troops of 31 Assam Rifles near the Indo-Myanmar border pillar no.81 some 7 km north east from Moreh police station yesterday at around 6 pm.

Police said, the three were killed by the AR troops during a gunfight near the international border and recovered a 9 mm pistol and one .32 pistol (country made) with magazines loaded with live ammunitions and a lathod gun with one shell.

The identities of the slain suspects are yet to establish.

Imphal west police commandos also gunned down another suspected militant last night at around 8.20 pm at a spot located between Langol Game and Iroishemba Zoological Garden (Second Home of Sangai).

Police said a 9 mm pistol loaded with five rounds of ammunitions recovered from the slain suspect later today identified as Akoijam Priyobarta (25) son Rajen of Mongsangei Mayai Leikai, Imphal west.

According to family, he was not an underground activist and also has no link with them.

He went out from home with a motorcycle yesterday evening at around 4 pm.

The dead body is still lying RIMS morgue as family with the support of the local people refused to accept the dead body alleging that he was shoot to dead after picked up.

On March 14 evening, two youths suspected to be PULF were killed at Awa Ching at the foot hill of Baruni hill in what police said in encounter between the a group of armed undergrounds and a combined team of Imphal east police commandos and troops of 28 Assam Rifles at around 6.10 pm.

Identity of one of the slain men was established on the next day as Md Basir Rehman (25) son of Siraj Ahmed Hajir of Kwakta Khuman village of Bishnupur district.

However, family members who turned up at RIMS morgue said that he was not underground but residing at his sister's home at Yairipok.

Locals formed a JAC with regard to the killing and lodged a complaint to the state chief minister demanding justice in the killing.

A suspected militant was gunned down by a combined force of Imphal west police commandos and Assam Rifles at Lamdeng, 15 km west of Imphal on March 12 at around 10.50 am.

Police claimed recovery of a 9mm pistol from the slain suspect.

On the next, the identity of the slain youth was established as Thokchom Momocha alias Thomas (30) son of Gulapi of Konjeng Hajari Leikai but family refused to accept the dead body and protested with a sit-in protest staged at the locality.

Locals of the Konjeng Hajari, Imphal staged a sit-in protest against the killing of the local youth alleging that Momocha was picked up by a team of police commandos in civil dress from Jailor Leirak, the by-lane from Tidim road to his home at around 9.30 am of the day which he was gunned down.

They said the civil dress police commandos coming into a car picked him up at gun point from his way to home with a bicycle and shot dead later at Lamdeng in fake encounter.

Locals formed a joint action committee in connection with the killing and submitted a memorandum to the chief minister to fulfill their demands which among other to award befitting punishment to erring police commandos and AR involved in the murder of Momocha.

The police and security personnel involved in the killing should be tried and deliver justice to the people so that every body could feel the sense of enjoying the right to life, the JAC demanded in the memorandum.

They also demanded hand over of the inquest report to the JAC by the government and find out the clue resulted in the murder of the youth.

It also demanded video coverage at time of conducting postmortem to the dead body.

With 15 killed since the beginning of March this year including two civilians, at least 92 people have been killed in militancy related incidents in the last three months from January 1, 2009, according to data sheet maintained by the Union ministry home affairs.

It is pertinent to mention that with 499 killed in militancy related fatalities, Manipur was in the top next to Assam where highest of people killed during the 2008. The State registered 388 fatalities in 584 insurgency-related incidents in 2007, according to the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA).

MHA data indicates that year 2008 saw 465 such incidents, claiming the lives of 314 persons till August 31. According to the SATP database, another 185 persons, including 40 civilians, four Security Force (SF) personnel and 141 militants, were killed in the subsequent four months yielding a provisional total of 499 fatalities in the year, including 136 civilians, 16 SF personnel and 347 insurgents.

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