Newmai News Network
Imphal | July 22
Police fired tear gas shells in Imphal’s Kwakeithel area who blocked the Tidim Road in protest against the arrest of 26 persons for their alleged involvement in torching a vehicle of top official of Manipur police a few days ago.
On July 19 night, an unruly mob torched the vehicle of Inspector General of Police (IGP), Kabib at Tiddim Road near Ghari. The vehicle was torched during a confrontation between a combined team of RAF and police and agitators.
On the next day, the police picked up as many as 30 people for their alleged involvement in the arson incident after registering a case.
Among them, 26 were formally arrested and after five of them were released on bail, the remaining 21 were sent to jail.
Denouncing the sending of 21 persons to jail, a large number of women of Kwakeithel and Gari areas of Imphal West district came out on the street along Tidim Road and blocked the traffic around 6 am today.
They burnt tyres and other materials to block the traffic. The agitating women, however, allowed vehicles belonging to essential services and going to the airport.
The agitating women demanded immediate unconditional release of the arrested persons while claiming that they were in any way involved in the torching of the vehicle.
They also shouted various slogans against the government over the arrest of the locals.
While the blocking of the road was in progress, a strong team of police led by Imphal West district SP, Dr Ibomcha Singh along with a team of RAF (Rapid Action Force) arrived at the spot, around 9 am.
The SP and other police officers tried to convince the agitating women to reopen the road for normal traffic.
As the women continued the blockade unheeding to the police with some of them challenging to arrest them too, the police and RAF had no option but to fire tear gas shells and mock bombs to disperse the agitating women.
After dispersing the agitators, the police cleared the road by dousing the fire and reopened the road for normal traffic.
No injuries which need medical attention reported in the melee.
