Shop vandalized over provocative remark
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, July 28 2015: Infuriated by provocative statements of a woman which smacked of communalism apart from allegedly undermining the ongoing mass movement for enforcement of ILPS or similar mechanism in Manipur, a group of protesters today vandalised a grocery shop belonging to the woman.

Moreover, many articles kept inside the shop were taken out and set ablaze.

The incident happened at Khurai Ahongei, Imphal East district under Porompat police station in the course of the 38 hours bandh called by the JAC constituted against the killing of Sapam Robinhood at around 3.30 pm today.

According to information culled from the spot, the woman grocer came to buy tea and snack item (Bora) from a nearby hotel.

There she allegedly stated that the ILPS movement would never achieve its objective.

She also used words which were communally over-charged.

Remains of the burnt scooter

In addition to the woman who runs the hotel, some other people who were present inside and near the hotel heard the woman's inflammatory words.

As the inflammatory words spread, a large crowd gathered and they raised a strong uproar against the woman's derisive words.

The next moment, they surrounded the woman's house but the woman and her husband hid inside the house after locking it from inside.

Soon, some of the enraged protesters started pelting stones at the woman's house.

Nonetheless, they were pacified by fellow protesters and all of them agreed to give an opportunity to the offender to tender an apology.

In the meantime, police took away the woman and her husband together with their children in a bullet-proof jeep.

This infuriated the crowd all the more and some of them started vandalising the shop.

Then they took out all the articles found inside the shop and set them ablaze.

One Honda Activa scooter was also burnt.

The mob was driven back by a strong police team of Imphal East district and a team from the Manipur Fire Service doused off the burning articles.

After the mob was driven back, one boy found inside the vandalised house was pulled up by police.

On learning about the arrest of the boy, the crowd re-assembled again and raised an uproar.

The uproar subsided only after the boy was released.

On learning about the uproar, MLA Y Erabot came to the spot.

Responding to a query raised by reporters, Erabot maintained that the Manipur Regulation of Visitors, Tenants and Migrant Workers (MRVTMW) Bill 2015 has no substance.

For protection of indigenous people, the Manipur Land Revenue and Land Reforms Act 1960 may be amended so that non-local people are prohibited from owning land in the State.

It is rather surprising that some CLP members were asking where were non-local people living in Manipur, Erabot remarked.

It would not be right to keep the police personnel involved in the killing of Sapam Rohinhood still in service while a judicial enquiry is pending, he added.

The issue was later resolved at a meeting held at Telipati Kalimai Mandir this evening.

According to a joint press release issued by the Vaishya Youth Club Telipati, Extra Educational Club Khurai Ahongei, Khurai Ahongei Thangjam Leikai Meira Paibi Lup and Coordinating Body ILPS Khurai Area, today's provocative remark and subsequent uproar was an isolated incident, not related with the mass ILPS movement.

The meeting also agreed to uphold communal harmony among all the communities of the area.