Police fired tear gas at protestors on Monday in Manipur Thoubal district headquarters, where hundreds of people carried out a protest rally demanding justice for murder of a four-year-old boy.
Convener of a local joint action committee (JAC) formed in connection with the murder of the boy under which the protest rally was marched and women were hospitalised after they sustained injuries in police action.
The body of the four-year-old boy was found in a pond located near his house in the morning of January 24 after he went missing on January 19.
Alleging that the boy was murdered by his kidnappers, people of Moijing area of Thoubal district have been demanding to book the culprits by staging various forms of protest since the day, the lifeless body of the boy was recovered.
Intensifying their protest, a large number of people who converged at a local community hall at Moijing marched a protest rally targeting Thoubal DC office. However, a scuffle broke out when police armed with riot gears blocked them from further proceeding.
In their bid to bring the protestors under control, the police fired several rounds of tear gas shells.
Mention may be made that on the same day of recovery of the dead body of the boy, locals have even attempted to torch the house of an alleged main culprit behind the boy’s murder who were found leaving the house with all his family members.
On the same day, police had also arrested two suspects even as the suspected main culprit was still at large. The protestors were calmed down only after the DC and SP of the district who arrived at the spot convinced them that appropriate action will be initiated after the post-mortem report of the boy was received.
The dead body of the boy is still lying at RIMS morgue after the family members supported by the JAC refused to accept the body demanding police prompt action to arrest the culprit(s).
