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| Protesters at the sit-in in Imphal on Friday. (PTI) |
Imphal, Feb 28 : The joint action committee and Apunba Lup today announced its third phase of agitation over the killing of three officials following the failure of the Okram Ibobi Singh government to arrest the NSCN (I-M) cadres involved in the gruesome incident.
The action committee, formed by the neighbours and families of the slain officials, and Apunba Lup have been spearheading the agitation against the triple murder.
Sub-divisional officer Thingnam Kishan, his driver Rajen Sharma and chainman Token Singh, were abducted from Ukhrul district on February 13. The trio were found murdered in Senapati district on February 17.
Three other officials who were abducted along with the slain officials were, however, traced by the Assam Rifles and police in a jungle in Ukhrul on February 21.
The Ibobi Singh government is yet to disclose the findings of the interrogations and inquiry by commissioner (agriculture), O. Nabakishore Singh and inspector-general of police (intelligence) L.M. Khaute.
The action committee had set today as the deadline for making public the findings of the inquiries. A public meeting held at Kangjabi locality of the city today decided to continue the peaceful means of agitation demanding criminal proceedings against the suspended Ukhrul de-puty commissioner, Pankaj Kumar Pal, and arrest and trial of the NSCN (I-M) cadres involved in the case.
The NSCN (I-M) had announced that the killings were masterminded by a self-styled commanding officer of the outfit H. Ningshen.
The public meeting convened by the action committee and the Apunba Lup decided to hold simultaneous sit-in protests in front of the gates of the residences of all the 60 MLAs on March 1. The organisations will hold a public rally the next day in Bishnupur district and another rally in Thoubal on March 3.
In another resolution, the meeting called on all government employees in the state to take a day’s casual leave on March 4 as a mark of protest against the killings.
The committee accused the deputy commissioner of conniving with the NSCN (I-M) cadres in the murder case.
In a related development, Manipur Civil Service Officers and Manipur Financial Service officers today staged a sit-in in front of the state secretariat over the killings.