Three civilians injured in Manipur as crowds of women throng police stations demanding release of five men

The Meira Paibi, a collective of Meitei women, had given a call to fill the jails on Thursday as an earlier 48-hour deadline, which included a shutdown in valley districts, demanding the release of the suspects lapsed.

At least three civilians were injured as police and Central security forces opened fire at a crowd that had gathered at several locations in the valley districts of Manipur demanding the release of five armed miscreants who were arrested last week, a defence source said on September 21. The miscreants were also wearing police uniforms when they were arrested.

The Meira Paibi, a collective of Meitei women, had given a call to fill the jails on Thursday as an earlier 48-hour deadline, which included a shutdown in valley districts, demanding the release of the suspects lapsed.

The residence of the officer-in-charge of Singjamei police station in Imphal West was vandalised by a mob around 3.15 p.m. on Thursday. The Rapid Action Force (RAF), Centre’s anti-riot police, fired tear gas shells near Singjamei police station to disperse the mob. The violence in several parts of the State started around 1 p.m.

The five men who are in judicial custody are expected to be produced in court on Friday.

The police had said in a statement on September 17 that there have been reports of extortion threats, misuse of police uniform, and impersonation by armed miscreants. According to the First Information Report (FIR), the five accused were arrested on September 16 at Kongba near Meitei Mayek School in Imphal. Normal life has been affected in all the five valley districts since September 17, a day after the arrest of the five suspects.

On Thursday, hundreds of women thronged all the police stations in the valley urging the police to arrest them too. The women claimed that the five arrested men were village protection volunteers.

Soibam Memcha, a woman leader said, “We had demanded release of these volunteers. The government had turned a deaf ear. The Kukis also have their village guards. The people have not heard of any Kukis’ arrest including the leaders of the Kukis”. The women activists, while speaking to reporters here in Imphal, said that they will never give up until the five men are released.