Women vendors, shopkeepers protest blast
Source: The Sangai Express
Imphal, March 12 2015:
All shops, business establishments and Ima Keithel in Imphal city remained closed for the day as women vendors and shopkeepers today staged sit-in-protests and organised a rally against yesterday's IED blast that claimed the lives of three people and left 21 others injured.
Since early morning, women vendors and shopkeepers staged demonstrations at temporary market shed, Uripok Charkrikon and Shamu Makhong.
Even as police diverted the vehicles coming towards Khwairamband bazar to alternate routes, the market wore a deserted look due to these demonstrations.
Later in the day, a large number of womenfolk coming from two different sides - one from Shamu Makhong and another from temporary market shed converged on BT road near Gambhir Singh Shopping Arcade and took out a rally towards the western gate of Kangla.
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Although, the protesters tried to move towards Raj Bhavan, police diverted them towards PWD office, Khoyathong by erecting a strong barricade near Kangla gate.
The rallyists returned to Shamu Makhong and the temporary market shed after passing through Khoyathong and Nagamapal.
A woman vendor said that it was unfortunate that a powerful bomb was triggered at a crowded market area.
Saying that it was a clear testimony of Government's failure to protect the lives of the general public, the woman questioned how miscreants could trigger the blast at a commercial hub located just a few metres away from the post of commando bazar unit and city police station.
She also asked those who were behind the blast to clarify on the incident at the earliest.
Another woman vendor said that yesterday's blast was not the first incident that happened in Khwairamband market.
However such attacks are carried out in crowded areas as the police have failed to nab the miscreants.
She said that culprits of yesterday's blast could have been identified easily if the CCTV cameras installed at the temporary market were functioning.
Meanwhile, post mortem examinations of the three deceased persons were conducted at RIMS morgue today.
Although, bodies of the two non-locals were handed over to respective families, body of the Manipuri is still lying in the morgue as an unclaimed body.
The deceased have been identified as Mithun Kumar Yadav (29) s/o Gulam of Bihar staying at Thangal Bazar and Ram Nishatar Rajbar (65) s/o (L) Khedhur Rajbar of Dumraina Bihar staying at Nagamapal near Manjuri Fish Centre and Salman Khan (20) s/o Islamuddin of Kshetri Bengoon Awang Leikai.