The arrested women have been identified as Hatlam Haokip, 47, w/o Yanglal Haokip, Nengngah Kipgen, 47, w/o of Tongmang and Neihling, 52, w/o Chungthang Kipgen.
Sources said that the women were produced before the court on charges of attempted suicide and subsequently taken into judicial custody. They are now admitted to the security ward of JNIMS, Porompat.
Seikhothang Haokip, spokesperson of Sadar hills districthood demand committee (SHDDC), informed that the President of India and Union Home Minister have acknowledged the demand of the committee as genuine and assured to convey the message to the Chief Minister of Manipur.
Subsequently the leaders of the committee came to Imphal and met the Chief Minister of Manipur. During the meet the Chief Minister asked the committee to give three months time to resolve the issue and appeal to relax their agitation, he said.
He further asserted that the committee however remained adamant on their stand urging the Chief Minister to resolve the issue within a week.
In the meantime, he warned the government that if it fails to meet the demand of the committee to declare Sadar hills to full fledged district at the earliest time, the agitators are prepared to launch mass hunger strike ‘unto death’ and asserted that the CM will be held responsible in case of any fatality arising due to the hunger striker.
The committee has also convened a mass public meeting tomorrow at Gamgiphai to discuss the prevailing issue of the Sadar hills. MLAs, member of ADCs of the Sadar hills area is likely to attend the meeting.
Meanwhile, talking to IFP, Haokam Kipgen, a hunger striker staging ‘fast unto death’ agitation at Saparmeina, demanding full fledged district for Sadar hills district said “We desire our mortal remains to be sent to the Chief Minister of Manipur if we pass away during our fast unto death agitation”.
He asserted that it has aggrieved the people of Sadar hills that the struggle for a full-fledged district has blind see and the deaf hear however the strikers are willing to make necessary sacrifices until the demand is fulfilled.
