Imphal, May 26 2009: Amidst contradictory claims over the cause of the incident, atleast two persons including a Police Commando sustained injuries when a mob attacked them at Lilong Haoreibi Makha Leikai Lairaba Khong under Lilong Police Station in Thoubal district at around 9.30 am today.

According to information culled from the site of the incident, the mob gathered following the action of the Police Commandos who came to arrest a local youth at the behest of two other persons.

Contradicting this claim, another source said the incident occurred when a team of Police Commandos rushed in to rescue two persons who were beaten up when they went to take back their money from a family.

Information gathered from the site of the incident further said that the two persons identified as Md Rausan (36) s/o late Amuchouba and Md Sanatomba alias Ithem, both residents of Oinam Sawombung came to the house of one Md Salatur Rahman (24) s/o Basiruddin of Lilong Haoreibi Makha Leikai Lairaba Khong at around 8.30 am and tried to take away Salatur forcefully.

However, the local people managed to rescue Salatur and released Rausan and Ithem after giving them a good thrashing.

Both Rausan and Ithem came together in a Bajaj Discover motorcycle and before they left allegedly threatened their attackers with dire consequences.

Not long after that, four Police Commandos in uniform arrived together with Rausan in a Maruti Gypsy bearing registration no.MN-01W/3061 and not only tried to abduct Salatur for the second time but also beat up his father and another family member identified as Nahatomba.

The action of the police commandos infuriated the local people all the more.

Seeing the fury of the mob, the Police Commandos reported to indiscriminate firing and later on left in the Gypsy taking Salatur along with them.

However, in the haste to escape from the mob fury, the Gypsy fell into Imphal river and Salatur was rescued.

The local people, however, did not mention anything about the injuries caused to one of the police Commandos and Rausan.

Rausan sustained injuries on his left thigh and near the eyebrow.

He was allegedly attacked with a spade.While Thingujam Anil alias Bocha (36) s/i late Mangoljao of Khongman Zone-IV, who is a personnel of Imphal West Police Commandos attached with Wangoi Police Station was reportedly grazed by a bullet on his right side temple.

Both of them are said to be out of danger.

According to injured Rausan, he and Md Ithem have gone to the house of Salatur to ask for the subscription amount of the Marup which Salatur and Md Ejo, one of the sons of Salatur's brother had already benefited from.

However, when they landed at the house they heard some family members shouting to bring out gun and shot them down even as mob assaulted them.

They somehow managed to escape from there and after reporting the matter to the police he was coming back along with the Police Commandos when the mob targeted them and he sustained injuries.

While he was coming along with the Police Commandos, Ithem stayed back in the motorcycle a little distance away.

Police said that shots have also been reportedly fired from among the mob though there is no conclusive report on the incident.

The local people have questioned why the Police Commandos have come along with the two civilians.

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