IMPHAL, March 11: Locals of Heirok and neigbouring Maring villages today convened a huge public meeting against the assault and looting of 10 labourers yesterday by suspected NSCN (IM) cadres at the construction site of the Mini Barrage Dam at Heirok River near Chingol Melei Lampak at Heirok Part II under Heirok Police Station in Thoubal District.
According the locals, although leaders and authorities of the Karongthel Village was invited to attend the meeting, the failed to turn up. However, village chairmen of several other neighbouring villages came and attended the meeting and decried yesterday’s incident.
Meanwhile, it was demanded that the NSCN (IM) should issue a clarification regarding yesterday’s incident before the public through the media.
Further resolutions taken during the meeting included that there are evidences of the involvement of some villagers of Karongthel Village in yesterday’s incident and if in case the NSCN (IM) fails to issue its clarification, the government should arrest the culprits within five days and punish them.
It was also resolved to seek a clarification from Karongthel Village on its failure to send any representative to the meeting and to ask the village authority to bring out the culprits involved from the village so that the two villages may continue to maintain the cordial and peaceful relationship between the villages.
The meeting was attended by Heirok Zilla Parishad members, pradhans of Heirok Part I, II and III, Heirok Nagar Panchayat members, village chiefs of neighbouring Maring villages including of Wabaching, Konaitong, Thamlai and Heinoukhong and others. NIPCO representatives also attended the meeting.
Speaking at the meeting, Thamlai Village chairman T Meshul Maring said yesterday’s incident is unfortunate and deplorable.
He said since time immemorial, people of Heirok and the neighbouring villages of the hills have been living together peacefully, and will continue to do so.
The people of the neighbouring villages have been maintaining the unity of the hills and the plains for long, he said stressing further that yesterday’s incident will not be able to disturb the peace and cordial relationship shared by the different communities of the area.
He demanded that the government should arrest all involved miscreants at the earliest and punish them befittingly.
NIPCO secretary Y Rishikanta said the NSCN (IM) is presently under a peace talk with the Centre; however, the outfit has been since a long time committing crimes against the people of Manipur including assault, kidnapping and killing, he added.
This has raised a suspicion among the people as to whether the peace talk has a hidden agenda, he said.
Questioning what the central forces are doing in the State, if they are unable to safeguard the people against such crimes committed by the NSCN (IM), he charged the central forces of turning a blind eye to wrongdoings of the outfit.
He said yesterday’s incident happened near the doorstep of the BSF post at Heirok. He further demanded that those involved be arrested at the earliest.
During the meeting it was also resolved that since the BSF post has failed to safeguard the local villagers, the government should remove the post from the area and instead replace them with other force which could safeguard them and that the MLAs of Heirok and Tengnoupal should bring any amicable solution to the incident at the earliest.