GUWAHATI: The miscreants triggered a blast, killing one person, and set ablaze the office of an influential Meitei organisation in strife-torn Manipur’s Imphal Valley late Friday night.
The explosion occurred at the DM College complex in Imphal West district. The college houses the office of All Manipur Students’ Union.
Oinam Kenegy and Salam Michael, both aged 24 years, were injured when the miscreants lobbed an IED. Both were rushed to a private hospital. Kenegy succumbed to his injuries. Michael is undergoing treatment and stated to be critical.
Around the same time of this attack, unidentified persons torched the office of United Committee Manipur (UCM), a Meitei civil society organisation, in the same district.
In the third attack, the miscreants vandalised and torched the administrative block of a school in the Imphal East district. Two scooters parked on the premises were also gutted.
No organisation has claimed responsibility for the attacks. Given the time and manner in which they were carried out, the police suspected them as coordinated attacks.
The UCM, which was formed with 36 civil society and other organisations in 2001, condemned the arson attack on its office.
“A lot of documents were preserved in the office since the UCM’s formation. The documents were about India-Myanmar border pillars and those written by tribal chiefs of different communities. Everything got reduced to ashes,” UCM organising secretary Nahakpam Shanta told journalists.
He criticised the Manipur Police and state intelligence for failing to thwart the attack. He said the nearest police station from the UCM office is located within 200 metres.
“Whoever has done it, we would like to appeal to them to not repeat it. UCM is a property of everyone. Every Manipuri contributed in building this organisation. It has fought for rights and various other issues related to the survival of indigenous people,” Shanta said.
He appealed to the state government to identify the arsonists and give them befitting punishment.
No immediate movement of personnel –
Kuki-Zo group Indigenous Tribal Leaders’ Forum had on Friday petitioned Union home minister Amit Shah seeking his intervention as the Manipur director general of police issued an order for the transfer of over 100 Kuki-Zo police personnel to Meitei-majority areas.
Manipur Police now said no immediate movement of the personnel is required at this stage in view of the present crisis.