Tags:
Journalism of Courage
Agitators in Manipur protesting against the killing of a 30-year-old woman by the Assam Rifles set fire to a number of government offices in and around Imphal.
The protestors set ablaze offices of the municipal body and sub-deputy collector at Ningthoukhong, the sub-deputy collector’s office at Moirang and the fisheries and electricity offices in Bishenpur district late last night despite imposition of an indefinite curfew, reports from Imphal said.
Trouble began on July 10, when the bullet-riddled body of Manorama Devi (30), a resident of East Imphal, was found about four km from her house, hours after she was picked up by Assam Rifles jawans. People in Imphal, and later the entire state has been agitating over the death, prompting the authorities to clamp curfew in the Manipur capital and other district towns.
The protest reached its zenith on Thursday when some elderly Manipuri women stripped themselves naked and stormed the Assam Rifles base in Imphal with placards saying ‘‘Come and rape us all’’.
Earlier, reports quoting government officials had said that the body of Manorama Devi also bore marks of torture including marks on the inside of her thighs as well as genitals. The Assam Rifles statement said: Manorama Devi, who was leading the Assam Rifles troops to a militant hideout, on the way requested permission to ease herself. She got down from the vehicle and started running. Troops opened fire as a last resort after warnings failed.
Meanwhile, an Assam Rifles spokesman in its Shillong headquarters said she was part of the 101 mobile battalion of the outlawed People’s Liberation Army of Manipur. She was in-charge of recruiting women cadre and was an IED expert, the spokesman said. Meanwhile, the Assam Rifles and the Manipur government instituted separate inquiries into the case.
