Source: Hueiyen News Service
Imphal, April 18 2010:
In a wild altercation between devotees of Thangjing Almighty at the top of the Thangjnig hill and a group of armed youths allegedly misbehaving with women devotees in the wee hours of Sunday, two youths were killed and four others injured.
The wild altercation occurred at Gothal village on the way to Thangjing Almighty, a place of worship located at the top of Thangjing hill bordering Churachandpur and Bishnupur districts in the wee hours of Sunday.
Thousands of people, particularly youths climb the Thangjing hill on Sundays that follow Cheiraoba every year.
The devotees usually start climbing the hill from the evening or at late night so as to reach the top on Sunday.
The altercation reportedly erupted when the group of armed youths conducting frisking on the people climbing the hill, posing themselves to be cadres of a militant group, allegedly molested women climbers coming along with male relatives or locals, police as well as reports culled from the locals said.
A few of the youths were armed with double bore guns, and they started disturbing the devotees thronging the foothill, using foul language and behaving provocatively towards the women devotees from around 10 pm.
They continued till the wee hours even though the volume of the people increased.
Among the armed youths, some of them allgedly started misbehaving with women devotees, who usually followed men of their localities and relatives, in presence of men.
That led to a fracas at about 2 am.
Two youths, one of whom has been identified as Jangminlhun Chongloi (18), son of Paosat Chongloi of Saikul village, succumbed to their injuries.
The identity of the other deceased youth could not be established.
The dead bodies have been transferred to RIMS morgue, Imphal, a source from the Moirang Police Station which covers the place of occurrence said.
The injured youths, Laljao Haokip (16), Mamang Haokip (20), Thangminthang (21) and Haimang Kipgen have been admitted to RIMS Hospital for medical treatment.
All of them received serious injuries but their condition are stable, hospital source said.
The four persons who got serious injuries including a father and a son were identified as Seimang Kipgen (52) and his son Khaiminthang (18) of T Chavangphai village in Churchandpur, Mamang (20), son of Jangkhom of Lhounoum village and Lalcha Kipgen (16), son of Jangngam of Tuibong village.
All of them got injuries mainly on the face and head.