Manipur, June 6: Tension erupted in Kangpokpi district of Manipur after an army major of 44 Assam Rifles (AR) allegedly shot dead a villager.
Official sources said the killing took place at Chalwa village which is about 55 km away from Kangpokpi district headquarter. Following the incident, enrage villagers stormed the Assam Rifles post situated nearby Chalwa village and torch two vehicles.
According to villagers of Chalwa, the major of the 44 AR post along with three of his jawans came to the Chalwa in civies to carry out an operation.
In the process, the AR personnel reportedly whisked away from a villager, later identified as Mangboilal Lhouvum, from the village only to be found with bullet injuries on a roadside in the vicinity of the village.
The victim was evacuated to a PHC nearby but later referred to Kangpoikpi district headquarter citing a lack of proper health care facility. But, the victim succumbed to his injuries on the way to the hospital.
Following the pressure from various civil bodies including the villagers, the major was briefly detained by the police. When the PRO of the Inspector General of Assam Rifles (IGAR) South, which covers most of the Assam Rifles battalions in the state informed that the particular area falls under the jurisdiction of IGAR (East) Silchar Assam.
However, the tension was defused on Saturday after an understanding was reached between the civil bodies, Assam Rifles authority and state, in a joint meeting.
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An official statement of the meeting stated that the three parties agreed to constitute a probe into the killing incident by the state police and also to remove the 44 Assam Rifles outpost from the district. In addition, the Assam Rifles also agreed to provide an amount of Rs. 10 lakhs as compensation to the victim’s family among others.
The agreement was jointly signed by commander 22 Sector AR Brigadier PS Arora; general secretary-Kuki Inpi Kangpokpi (KIK) Thangminlen Kipgen; ADGP of Manipur Police; general secretary Kuki student’s Organisation Thangtinlen Haokip among others.
