GUWAHATI: A day after BJP national president JP Nadda affirmed that there is no place for pre-poll violence in Manipur, Shamjai Singh, father of National People’s Party's (NPP) Manipur candidate L Sanjoy, was shot at and injured by suspected militants.
The incident occurred on Friday night when Singh was campaigning for his son who was earlier with the BJP. He crossed over to the NPP last month. The victim sustained injuries on his right shoulder and was admitted to a hospital.
The attack comes even as the opposition accused the BJP of resorting to pre-poll violence ahead of the assembly elections in Manipur scheduled to take place in two phases on February 28 and March 5.
Nadda claimed that BJP stands for "Peace and Tranquility."
Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma meanwhile expressed anguish over the attack on Shamjai Singh.
"Anguished that our candidate, Sh. L. Sanjoy Singh’s father, Sh. Shamjai Singh was shot & injured in a campaign programme at Yairipok Yambem Leikai. These incidents are tarnishing the sacred essence of our democracy. I urge ECI to see into these developments in #Manipur,” NPP president and Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma tweeted.
After visiting the injured at the hospital, he said he would meet the state’s Chief Electoral Officer to ensure that action was taken against the perpetrators of the crime.
The incident comes just days after the NPP petitioned the Election Commission seeking adequate security cover for its Manipur candidates, alleging that they were being intimidated by some militant organisations which signed separate suspension of operating agreements.
The NPP, which is concentrated mostly in the state of Meghalaya, said the reports of intimidation were received from across constituencies. Earlier, the party had also stated that one of its candidates in the hill district of Churachandpur failed to file his nomination as the militants had warned him against contesting.
The NPP was founded by PA Sangma in 2013, after his ouster from the NCP in 2012.