Meitei Leepun chief calls life bid threat to entire community
Source: Chronicle News Service

Imphal, November 03 2023: Meitei Leepun chief Mayengbam Pramot has escaped a drive-by shooting unscathed on Friday morning.

The gun attack took place along the way to Shija Hospitals in Langol, near the campus of National Institute of Technology (NIT), Manipur around 7 am when some unidentified assailants who came in a car fired several rounds towards the parked Bolero SUV in which Pramot and his driver Johny were seated.

Police and mobile forensic teams arrived at the location upon receiving the information and investigated the crime scene.

A case has been registered at Lamphel police station and impounded Pramot's Bolero (MN05A 7410) as evidence.

Police found six bullet holes in the upper portion of the SUV.

Some of the bullets passed through and hit the shutter of a grocery store nearby.

Police source said that Pramot (52) son of late Gouramangol of Chingmeirong and his driver Loukrakpam Johny (26) son of late Oken of Sagolband Sayang Kurao Makhong were coming to the office of Meitei Leepun at Langol, when they stopped at a grocery store located near NIT campus.

In the meantime, the assailants, who came in a blue colour car from Shija Hospital side fired the shots while driving and fled the scene.

The bullets hit the rear upper portion of the SUV.

Fortunately, Pramot was sitting in the front seat with his driver and the bullets missed him.

Identity of the assailants and reason for the gun attack have not been established yet.

Investigation is going on, police said.

Meanwhile, addressing a press meet at the Meitei Leepun office, Pramot said that his organisation has been working to unite and strengthen Meetei community as well as to protect the territorial integrity and identity of Manipur.

Ihe organisation has been actively involved in protecting the peripheral villages and territory of the state after the ethnic violence broke out on May 3.The incident is not an attack on him but on the entire community and the territorial integrity of the state, Pramot said.

He further expressed that if the assailants were hired out of the proceeds of illegal poppy farming, they should not think of repeating such acts in future as they cannot hide if Meitei Leepun starts tracking them.

As of now, the organisation is preoccupied with the task of protecting the paddy crops as harvesting season has begun.

Once the harvesting season is over, the organisation will face the threats to the state's territory and identity squarely, he said.

And in case, the attack was carried out by some groups from the same community, they should better stop their plans.

The organisation can give befitting response but does not want to make an issue out of it.

However, if they continue with their plan, the organisation will hunt them down, he warned.

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