Day: June 2, 2013

IMPHAL, June 2 NNN: Inspite of the strong opposition from Kuki Students’ Organisation (KSO) and those with the ‘Interim Body’ of ATSUM, the other faction of All Tribal Students Union, Manipur (ATSUM) sponsored “Intense agitation’ for 38 hours under the code name ROTO (Reckoning of the Others) is all set to begin from 5 am of Monday.
By ‘intense agitation for 38 hours’ ATSUM means total bandh in tribal dominated areas.
Talking to some reporters this evening, ATSUM leaders said their volunteers are now stationed in all the tribal dominated areas of Manipur to enforce the total bandh.
However, media, medical services, power/electricity service, water supply and security forces will be exempted from the purview of the bandh, according to ATSUM.
After the ’38 hours intense agitation’, it will be followed immediately by ’38 days sustained agitation’. By ‘sustained agitation’ ATSUM here means no more imposing bandh but by way of sudden resorting of any action at any available opportunity and at any place to draw the attention of the government, especially against the government properties.
The number ’38 hours’ or ’38 days’ denotes the number of tribes in Manipur.
ATSUM reiterated today that there has been been ATSUM’s long standing aspiration to find a State Commission of the Scheduled Tribes in Manipur under the Article 338A of the Indian Constitution which would usher in all round Development and progress in respect of thee tribal people in this eastern most part of the Indian Union. The National Commission for Scheduled Tribes which came in to force on 19th February, 2004 has failed to provide adequate service to the state of Manipur a it is based on the distant centre in Shillong, they stated.
According to the ATSUM leaders, the state of Karnataka in 2002 had established the State Commission for SC/ST under the name and style ‘The Karnataka State Commission for Scheduled Tribes Act, 2002′. They said the tribal population is the second largest in the state of Manipur but the pace of development is rather too slow till today comparing to that of the non-tribal populace. There has been the Manipur state Commission for OBC which meant to safeguard the rights of the other backward classes, the ATSUM leaders said.
“In the light of the above facts and circumstances, it is our earnest plea that the Manipur State Commission for the ST be set up in the earnest date, the tribal students’ body stated.
ATSUM then demanded for the setting up of B.Ed centres in hill districts of Manipur.
“Even the HSLC examination centres are very often treated as temporary arrangement subject to omission and commission. It is demanded that B.Ed centres be set up in all the five hill districts where TET can be conducted,” the tribal students’ body demanded.
ATSUM also mentioned that the crisis in the newly set up Indra Gandhi National Tribal University (IGNTU) Regional Compus in Manipur is put to a situation of breaking down totally because all the required infrastructures and issues have not been properly attended to by the authorities concerned. “There is no end to the students’ agitations against many lapses in the University. Xerox copy of the MoU signed between students and the vice chancellor is enclosed herewith for kind perusal. It is our earnest plea for your urgent intervention before things turn from bad to worse,” ATSUM cautions.
One point the ATSUM said is, “We demand adequate number of both teaching and non-teaching staff in the educational institutions in the hill areas of Manipur state. We also demand that proper infrastructures for the educational institutions in the five hill districts be provided promptly as to facilitate smooth functioning of the academic sessions”.
“The recruitment of junior Manipur Civil Service (MCS) rule latest amendment published in Manipur Gazette Extra Ordinary Dt. 06/03/2012 U/S 2(2) & (3) clearly states that there shall be 2 grades i.e. (I). Junior MCS, Junior Grade (II) Senior MCS, Senior Grade. The clauses 3 states that the post of Junior MCS, senior Grade shall be class I Gazetted while the post of Junior MCS, Junior Grade be Class II Gazetted. We demand that justice be delivered at the time of conducting DPC in respect of SC & ST requiring promotion in accordance with the Manipur Reservation of vacancies in posts and Services (for ST&SC) Rules, 2011 published on 17/05/2011,” the tribal students’ leaders pointed out.

Read more / Original news source: http://manipur-mail.com/atsum-stir-begins-today/

Imphal Jun 2 UNA: Kuki based civil organizations including the Kuki Students’ Organisation (KSO) set a 24-hour deadline to the Manipur government, demanding appropriate action against some police personnel behind the assault on a wife-son duo of chairman of the Sadar Hills ADC of Senapati district on Sunday.
On May 28 last, two suspected police personnel in civvies with arms in their possessions chased after Paolenmang Touthang (28) son of Paojalet Touthang, vice chairman of Sadar Hills ADC who was traveling with his mother Hahat Touthang along the Keibi-Sawombung road.
When Paolenmang sped up his scooter, they met an accident at Sawombung after which the two suspects assaulted him in front of her mother even though he sustained injuries in the accident.
According to Hahat Touthang (40) of Aigejang village, Saikul sub-division, she and her son Paolinmang (28) were going to Imphal on a scooter (Honda Dio) when they met with the accident.
At Heikak Mapal, two youth in plain clothes brandishing pistols signaled the mother-son duo to stop. Hahat told her son not to stop but accelerate the scooter’s speed. The two unidentified youth pursued them on a Honda Activa.
At Sawombung, Paolinmang lost control of his scooter resulting in a mishap. Both the mother and the son sustained injuries in the mishap.
As they fell on the ground, the two youth reached them and they started thrashing Paolinmang.
One being intervened by Hahat Touthang, the youth said that they were commandos and asked why they (Paolinmang and Hahat) did not stop even after they were signalled to do so. Hahat suffered fractures on right shoulder and left hand. She is currently undergoing treatment at Shija Hospital. Paolinmang only suffered minor injuries.
The mother said that they decided to run away as the unidentified youth were not in police uniform . KSO Bungpi area general secretary Helin Kipgen has condemned the assault. He asked as to why the assailants did not do frisking in uniform if they were police or VDF.
Noting the incident seriously, a joint meeting of North Eastern Chief Association, Manipur (NECAM), KSO, Bungpi area and Kuki Women Association, Bungpi was held today at Samusong village under Saikul sub-division of Senapati district and passed a five-point resolutions.
Among other, the resolutions demanded disclosure of identities of the two police commando personnel involved in the incident and place them under suspension from their services within 24-hour which the count down commenced from 5 am of June 3. If the authority of the state government failed to disclose the identities of the two police commando personnel involved in the assault on Paolenmang, the civil bodies would be compelled to take up “intense agitation” and any untoward incident arising out of the agitation would be responsible for the state government, a statement of the KSO threatened.

Read more / Original news source: http://manipur-mail.com/civil-bodies-demand-appropriate-action-against-erring-police-personnel/

Imphal Jun 2 MNS UNA : Two persons have arrested with a consignment of a huge quantity of contraband drugs by Manipur police, indicating no let up to the activities of smuggling of illegal drugs in Manipur.
The seized contraband drugs include of 41,314 SP capsules, N-10 (4,500) tablets, LUPICOF Codeine Syrup (380 Bottles) and RCOF Codeine Syrup (100 bottles) which would worth several lakh of rupees in grey market.
Sekmai police of Imphal West district police have detected that the consignment from a truck bearing registration no. AS-11-AC/6348 while conducting a check to the vehicle loaded with tiles and proceeding towards Imphal Dimapur on the NH-2 Saturday evening. The contraband drugs were found concealed under boxes of tiles. The drugs were found packed in six big cartons and one gunny bag and consisted of 41,314 SP capsules, N10 (4,500) tablets, LUPICOF Codeine Syrup (380 Bottles) and RCOF Codeine Syrup (100 bottles), a police source said Sunday.
The persons arrested along with the consignment were identified as Md Ziauddin @ Sana (38) of Lilong Chingkham Makha Dam and Md Shiraz Khan (19) of Thoubal Moijing. They were produced before the Imphal West duty magistrate today and remanded to police custody, the source added.
On the news about the seizure of the huge consignment of drugs, womenfolk of Sekmai area today throng to the police station demanding destruction of the seized drugs.
However, thy were calmed down by the officer-in-charge of Sekmai police who convinced them that police needed to follow a legal procedure before destroying the contraband items. He further assured that he would consult higher authority about the matter and do the needful.
Yesterday detection of huge quantity of drug consignment was not the first of its kind in the recent time.
Noting seriously the matter of becoming Imphal a transit route for drug trafficking through Moreh, Manipur’s border town at the international border with Myanmar even the Manipur chief minister has brought up the matter with his counterpart chief minister of Saigang region of Myanmar to work together for curbing the menace of cross border drug trafficking.

Read more / Original news source: http://manipur-mail.com/huge-consignment-of-drug-seized/