Irate womenfolk of Lamlai Assembly Constituency blocked the Imphal-Ukhrul road on Monday, following a reported altercation with 20 Jat Regiment stationed at Sabungkhok Khunou, Imphal East on Sunday.
On Sunday, 11 women protestors were badly wounded after central forces reportedly used force to disperse a mob of women protestors demanding the removal and substitution of the 20 Jat Regiment stationed at Sabungkhok Khunou with state forces.
On the second day of the protest, SP Imphal East along with other top police officials met with the protestors to figure a feasible solution to end the protest and restore normalcy in the region.
The meeting resolved to provide state force personnel in the region on Monday itself or continue the protest unabated till the demand was met. Several state force personnel are confirmed to be deployed and stationed in the region by the time of filing this report. The protesters have also backed off the protest as per the resolution.
Speaking to the media, commander in chief of the Lamlai Kendra Village Volunteer Force Y Basan expressed discontentment over state government's disregard for villagers living in so called ‘red zone’. “We submitted a memorandum to the state authorities to pull out the central forces stationed on the fringes of Lamlai constituency but our demands fell on deaf ears,” he said.
He informed that the gun attacks by Kuki militants had not stopped even with central forces manning the ‘red zone’. He highlighted that the womenfolk erupted in protest on Sunday demanding the removal of the central forces as their presence had little to no effect in maintaining peace in the region.
“The villagers felt insecure and felt the central forces were neglecting their responsibility and duties as such the protest erupted,” he said.
He condemned the use of force against innocent women protestors and demanded the immediate suspension of those involved in the act.
“Using force against innocent women protestors shows the cowardly and outsider attitude of the Jat regiment as such we want them out of the region,” he said.
Meanwhile, social activist Sapamcha Kangleipal expressed disappointment over the deafening silence of the legislatures in connection with the issue.
“The protest of the womenfolk in Lamlai region is not an isolated uproar but for the community and the entire state,” he said. He informed that the Imphal East SP had assured to station state forces adjacent to the central forces in Sabungkhok Khunou. He also assured follow-up on security measures in the area, Kangleipal added. He further stated that the entire crisis could have been averted if the state government had followed proper security protocols.
