40 non-locals send back during Highway vigil
Source: Hueiyen News Service / NNN

Imphal, June 05 2013: Stepping up vigil along the National Highways, at least 40 non-locals (people from mainland India) coming to Manipur from Dimapur side along National Highway-2 were sent back from Sekmai in Imphal West district by volunteers of several student organisations as the agitation by Joint Committee on Inner Line Permit System (JCILPS) to prevent non-Manipuris from visiting the state from June 1 ended Wednesday.

Following the failure of the state and central Governments to announce a clear stance on the Inner Line Permit issue, JCILPS had announced to stop entry of non-locals to the state from June 1-5 .

Volunteers of 'student wing' of ILP demand committee from student bodies like All Manipur Students' Union (AMSU), Democratic Students' Alliance of Manipur (DESAM) and Kangleipak Students' Association (KSA) including volunteers from Sekmai Protection Committee conducted checking on every vehicle moving toward Imphal from Dimapur side as part of the agitation by JCILPS on Wednesday.

40 non-locals send back during Highway vigil

While doing so, the volunteers found about 40 non-locals entering the state in seven different vehicles around 11 am.

They then forced them to return to their respective places, sources said.

In the midst of the restive move by the volunteers, a team of Sekmai Police led by OC Premjit rushed to the site and attempted to bar them from checking and sending back of outsiders, thus, leading to a confrontation.

In the ensuing melee, police allegedly manhandled some of the student volunteers.

An Assam Rifles party was also present at the scene and uttered threatening words to the student volunteers to leave the site.

Afterwards the police drove the student volunteers away from the spot.

However, the student volunteers unrelentingly stopped vehicles heading toward the capital Imphal and continued checking of suspected non-Manipuris in Luwangshangbam area.

The volunteers also smashed the windshields of a truck at Luwangshangbam near Liberal College after a non-local travelling in the truck refused to get down of the vehicle when asked by the student volunteers for verifying his identity.

With the dateline of the ultimatum given to Manipur Government to clear its stance on introduction of Inner Line Permit system in the state was ending, JCILPS had on May 30 decided to go on with its earlier decision to stop visiting of non-locals to the state from June 1-5 and disallow outsiders to enter into the lanes and localities of the state from June 6-10 .