IMPHAL: Five women representatives of Apunba Lup, the apex body of civil organisations in Manipur, on Tuesday met Governor Gurubachand Jagat, seeking action against those responsible for the July 23 encounter in the city, in which two persons were killed and five injured.
After submitting the memorandum at the Raj Bhavan, they said they would intensify their agitation if Chief Minister Okram Ibobi did not act against the guilty.
Earlier, Mr. Jagat is understood to have asked Mr. Ibobi why the police were not permitting the representatives to meet him. The curbs imposed on journalists have also come under criticism. On Tuesday too, barriers were put up around the Raj Bhavan and the Chief Minister’s office to keep the protesters away.
Meanwhile, even as curfew was relaxed for four hours, women burnt the effigies of the Chief Minister and police officials at different places, and attacked the police with slingshots.
Jamini, chairperson of the Manipur State Commission for Women, visited the house of Rabina, a pregnant woman who was killed in the encounter. After handing over financial assistance to her family, she said that since the government ordered a judicial inquiry, she would wait and watch. If its action was not satisfactory, she would move the National Commission for Women.
Prakash, who was hit in the right eye by an AK 47 bullet, would be taken outside the State for treatment, as his condition has become serious.
Several organisations have condemned the attack on the house of Chungkham Sanjit, the other victim in the encounter. Teargas shells were reportedly fired at the house, as the police believed some women and youth were making preparations there for a procession.
Apunba Lup said in a statement that the ruling Congress and CPI MLAs should elect an alternative leader, instead of protecting Mr. Ibobi.
Normal life has been affected since August 3, when the indefinite curfew was imposed. There is no consumer item in the market; even life-saving drugs have run dry.