The personnel were overpowered and taken captive after the IRB personnel physically harassed local youths and fired tear gas and blank firing at women torch bearers in Ukhrul town.
After the incident Wednesday night, hundreds of people torched the Autonomous District Council (ADC) and overpowered the armed guards posted there.
Of 30 security men at the office, 17 were taken captive with 16 service weapons while the rest managed to escape. The seized weapons included 15 SLRs and one Carbine.
The irate crowd dispersed after more than two hours of negotiations between both sides concluding with the signing of an Memorandum of Understanding (MoU).
The four-point MoU included- demand to apologise to public for indiscriminate firing and withdrawal of all IRB and police commando within 12 hours from the district headquarters; identify and initiate disciplinary action (suspension) within 12 hours on those security men involved.
The signatories include DC Ashok Kumar, SP Kh. Suresh, and representatives of Tangkhul civil societies.
Meanwhile, the Tangkhul civil societies Thursday submitted a letter addressed to Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh containing the four demands while returning 16 service weapons seized from Manipur state personnel.
Tangkhul civil societies under the banner of Tangkhul Coordination Committee (TCC) led by convenor Solomon Ningshen met the DC N Ashok Kumar in the office and submitted the four-point memo.
UNC condemns
'brutal act'
United Naga Council (UNC) has condemned the "brutal and savage action of the Manipur armed forces" against innocent Naga citizens at Ukhrul June 2.
According to UNC publicity wing, the "violence prone" Manipur IRB and commandos accosted Naga civilian and assaulted them with rifles butts on the pretext that curfew has been clamped in Ukhrul town. The UNC also said there was no such notification of curfew from the district administration.
It also alleged that the "heavily drunk" IRB and commandos went out for action against innocent civilians. It alleged that the incident was the "designed" result of the "heavy militarization of Naga areas" of the Manipur government in hiding its "insecurity" on the issue of the "rights of the Nagas to live together under a single administration."
Meanwhile, the UNC has appealed to the world community to recognize "undeclared war" waged on Naga public by Manipur government.
Irate mob sets fire to Ukhrul ADC office; vehicles of DC burnt; IRB starts 'pull-out'
Ukhrul, Jun 3(IFP): The district administration at Ukhrul Hqs almost inched towards a 'total breakdown' as irate residents came out and protested against the 'indiscriminate' firing and high-handedness of the IRBs/commandos posted at Ukhrul town last evening taking a heavy toll.The obviously 'provoked' mob set to fire the administrative office of the Ukhrul Autonomous District Council (UADC). The official vehicle of the Deputy Commissioner along with two security escort vehicles were reduced to cinders while 16 protestors were injured in tear-gassing and have been hospitalized at the District Hospital here.
The whole incident is believed to have originated at around 7:30pm last night when a group of IRB/commandos came out reportedly and on the pretext that CrPC 144 has been imposed in the town started beating up and verbally abusing some of the bandh volunteers who were keeping vigil at Phungreitang locality.
Many people were also reported to have been lathi-charged. Womenfolk from the nearby areas on hearing the alarm raised by the volunteers came out but were intimidated with blind-firing from the assault rifles and canisters. Gun shots and loud bursts of tear gases could be heard from far distances, sending fear waves and confusion across the town. Within minutes, thousands of 'fire-torch-bearing' women converged from different areas and assembled at the MG Avenue.
As people started peacefully assembling to register their resentment against such wanton acts, the armed personnel stationed at the SP Hqs started shelling down tear gas and 'blind-firing' from their bunkers in an apparent bid to disperse the crowd. At nearby Phungreitang, an irate mob set on fire the Ukhrul ADC office and all the 17 security personnel from 5th M.R. attached to the office were rounded up and their weapons confiscated by the women-folk.
By this time, the crowd had swelled to thousands at MG Avenue and the patience of the local residents was apparently on the wane until the Ukhrul DC, N. Ashok Kumar, IAS arrived on the scene to take stock of the situation at around 9:30 pm. Soon after hearing the audience on the public demands, the DC entered the SP Hqs along with representatives of the civil societies.
However, as soon as the DC entered the SP Hqs, the armed policemen began to fire again and lobbed several tear gas into the crowd leading to the protestors running amok for protection. The three vehicles of the DC which were parked nearby were said to have caught fire from the 'dropped' fire-torches on the spills of oils used for the fire-torches.
However, it is believed to have been consigned to flames by irked mobs who felt 'provoked' by the IRB/commando action even in the presence of the DC. The town almost resembled that of Baghdad, the streets were replete with road blockades, tyre burning, oil spills strewn all over the town, and smoke billowing everywhere.
Thousands of women torch-bearers crowded the whole vicinity as people waited, some restlessly on the streets until finally, the representatives of the civil societies emerged from the SP Hqs and made the public declaration at around 1 am (of 3rd June). The memorandum of understanding (MOU) was signed between the District Administration represented by the DC and SP while the Tangkhul civil societies were represented by TSL, TMNL and TKS.
In the MoU, the district administration tendered apology for the 'indiscriminate firing', promised immediate withdrawal of the IRBs/commandos posted in the district Hqs within 12 hours, allowed necessary financial assistance to be extended to the injured and the culprit security personnel would be identified and necessary disciplinary action (suspension) be taken up against them.
Today, at 4 pm, a team of Tangkhul civil societies met the DC and officially handed over 16 weapons confiscated by the women torch-bearers in the presence of media persons. While being asked about the progress of the action taken so far, the DC replied that necessary steps have been taken accordingly and that 'pull-out' of IRBs/commandos from the district has begun since this afternoon. Later, while interacting with media persons, he stated that, "action will be taken" when queried on the steps being initiated against the culprits.
To another question on whether the contents of the MOU are endorsed by the Government of Manipur, he averted from giving a straight answer saying, "I've sent messages (to the government)," raising further doubt on the implementation of the MOU.
Over the months, several protests demanding withdrawal of IRBs and commandos from the hills district of Manipur have been witnessed ever since they were first dispatched to the hills in the early part of 2009, citing 'law and order situation'. However, since the ceasefire agreement reached between GOI and NSCN in 1997, the four Naga inhabited hills districts of the state have witnessed relative peace.
The incident comes close on the heels of the ADC polling held in four constituencies of the district held today and the 72 hours bandh called in the district to denounce what the locals feel is an 'imposed' election by Manipur government.
DC's vehicles, ADC office burnt
IMPHAL, JUN 3(IFP): The situation in Ukhrul town was simmering when entire citizens of the town came out to protest against the alleged security forces highhandedness on enforcers of 72-hour bandh called by Tangkhul organisations was underway last night.
The angry mob set on fire three vehicles allotted to DC Ukhrul later in the night.
Policemen on duty at district SP's office said three vehicles of DC Ashok Kumar were set ablaze last night.
The 72-hour bandh called by Tangkhul organisations was underway when the volunteers enforcing the bandh were allegedly picked up by the IRB personnel and started roughing them up.
In no time, the public came out to protest the action of the security forces. The security personnel fired tear gas shells to control the mob.
Hundreds of people also headed toward the office of the SP of the district and hurled stones. More than a dozen protestors including 10 women were injured during police action.
The mob set on fire an official Bolero and two gypsies allotted to the DC Ukhrul, which were reportedly parked at Gandhi Chowk of the hill station. The mob also burnt down Ukhrul Autonomous District Council office.
Meanwhile, 15 SLR and one stengun allotted to security forces which were reportedly snatched away during last night incident were handed over to the state authority after district administration agreed to pull out the IRB personnel from the district headquarters within 12 hours besides tendering apology to the general public for the alleged unwanted action of the security forces in a joint meeting at the office chamber of DC Thursday afternoon.
"The district authority also assured that necessary action would be taken against the accused security men besides helping the injured ones," a resident informed over telephone after the meeting.
Later the striking Tangkhul bodies called off their bandh which was in force since May 31 midnight.
Sources in the Ukhrul SP office said three truck loads of IRB personnel left Ukhrul soon after the joint meeting.
Prohibitory orders in Imphal West
District administration in Imphal West district has imposed prohibitory order under section 144 CrPC from 7 pm on Thursday to maintain law and order after the hill districts witnessed a series of violence in the run up to the autonomous district council polls which concluded yesterday.
District authority has prohibited assembly of five or more people, staging of protest or any other functions without prior permission from the DC and use of loud speakers on the streets of the district.
The prohibitory orders was imposed based on police report of breaching the peace and tranquility following a series of unwanted episodes in three hill districts in the aftermath of state government's prohibition on entry of NSCN-IM general secretary Th. Muivah.
UNC condemns Ukhrul incident
DIMAPUR, JUN 3 (EMN): The United Naga Council has condemned the the action of Manipur armed forces against innocent Naga citizens at Ukhrul on Wednesday night calling it brutal and savage.
In a release, the UNC said the violence-prone IRB and police commandos of Manipur accosted Naga civilians on the streets of Ukhrul and started assaulting them on the pretext that the curfew has been imposed in Ukhrul town while there was no such notification from the district administration.
It alleged that the IRB and commandos were heavily drunk and were out for action on innocent civilians.
"The incident is the designed result of the heavy militarization of Naga areas, which has become the campaign strategy of the Manipur State Government to address its insecurity on the issue of the rights of the Nagas to live together under a single administration," the release said.
"As we condemn this blatant violation of human rights and total disregard for the sentiments of the Naga people of which the Ukhrul brutality is the latest instance, we reach out to the world community through this press statement to recognize the undeclared war waged on the Naga public by the Manipur State Government through the creation of the highly militarized and free for all situation," the UNC release stated.
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