Northeast

YCM urges ECI to take necessary action to ensure franchise rights of Heirok

Incidents of arson, ransacking, intimidation, beating up of journalists and threatening of women including the Meira Paibi have been on the rise, says YCM convenor Chanthoi.

ByIFP Bureau

Updated 23 Dec 2021, 4:07 pm

(Representational Image: Pixabay)
(Representational Image: Pixabay)

The Youth Collective Manipur (YCM) on Thursday expressed deep concern over the escalating pre-poll violence in the run-up to the 12th Manipur Legislative Assembly Election and have called on the Election Commission of India (ECI) to take prompt necessary action to ensure the franchise rights of Heirok.

Addressing the press at the Human Rights Alert office at Kwakeithel, convenor of YCM, People’s Manifesto, Aheibam Chanthoi said that the prospect of a free and fair election in Manipur is becoming dimmer as pre-poll violence escalates to homicides. Incidents of arson, ransacking, intimidation, beating up of journalists and threatening of women including the Meira Paibi have been on the rise, Chanthoi said.

The Convenor expressed concerns and stated that groups of masked men are reportedly roaming in the night with lethal weapons while many have fled from their homes for fear of reprisal. On 21 December 2021, Ningthoujam Rohit (20), a student of Thoubal College was shot dead at his residence and in front of his family while his father was also shot and is still struggling for his life in the hospital, Chanthoi said. His surviving brother lodged a police complaint the next day pointing out that the six persons, including Thokchom Putro, the brother of sitting BJP MLA of the Heirok Assembly Constituency, Thokchom Radheshyam, are responsible for the killing, she added.

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However, to date, no arrest has been made. In fact, this is not the first time a police complaint has been lodged on the deteriorating law and order situation in Heirok, Changthoi said, adding that at least half a dozen pre-poll-related violence complaints were lodged to the Heirok Police Station in the last few months. But police are reportedly remaining mere spectators to the escalating violence and there is the gripping sense of fear amongst the public as the Rule of Law has totally collapsed, she said.

Aheibam Chanthoi said that even though the government has issued the notification to deposit all licence guns with the district authorities, warring groups of political workers are freely moving in Heirok village with high calibre sophisticated guns, CCTV footages of which are going viral in the social media, she stated.

Under these circumstances of escalating violence resulting even in the death of a student and the total ineffectiveness of the administration to contain the situation, YCM is extremely concerned at the dimming prospect of a free and fair election in Manipur. Therefore, YCM appeal to the state government and concerned authorities to take prompt action against the incident to control the violence before it is too late, the convenor said.

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Aheibam Chanthoi said that Youth Collective Manipur (YCM) is a group of young people across the state of Manipur campaigning for free and fair elections in Manipur. They have been organising state-wide awareness campaigns in the form of youth debates and have also drawn up a People’s Manifesto and submitted the same to all the political parties, she informed.

 

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Tags:

ECIhuman rightsHeirokChanthoiYCM

IFP Bureau

IFP Bureau

IMPHAL, Manipur

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