© The Indian Express Pvt Ltd
Tags:
Journalism of Courage
A 21-year-old college student was killed and his father injured in Manipur’s Thoubal district when gunmen barged into their house and opened fire.
According to the police, the incident took place in the early hours of Wednesday at Heirok part-II, Mayai Leikai village.
The youth has been identified as Ningthoujam Rohit, a third semester student of Thoubal college.
Ningthoujam Eshabi, 50, his mother, said the family was awoken by a commotion of someone breaking into their backyard. When the father-son stepped out to check, they found a large number of masked gunmen. Eshabi said her husband, Ningthoujam Premchandra, 53, shouted at the intruders, and was shot at. The gunmen then went after her son, who had hidden inside the bathroom, and shot him at point-blank range. Rohit died on his way to the hospital. Premchandra is undergoing treatment in Imphal.
Ningthoujam Roshan, the deceased’s brother, has in his complaint to the police alleged that his brother and father were shot by one Thokchom Putro Singh, 43, of Heirok Thokchom Leikai. Roshan has also named five people who allegedly accompanied Putro.
While the motive behind the attack remains unclear, sources said the incident could be an escalation of poll-related violence that occurred on Tuesday. A 30-year-old man, identified as Khundongbam Rakesh, sustained a bullet injury after a clash broke out between workers of rival political parties in Heirok bazaar, sources said. It is learned that Putro was a close aid of a BJP leader in Heirok while Ningthoujam Roshan was an active worker of the Congress party.
Police said an FIR has been lodged and investigation is on to identify those involved in the attack.
On Wednesday, women in Heirok village organised a series of protest demonstrations demanding immediate arrest of the culprits.
Heirok Assembly constituency has witnessed poll-related violence in the past few months.
In October, the district administration had clamped prohibitory orders under CrPC 144 after a journalist was assaulted by a group of people alleged to be Congress workers.
