crude bombs
Representative image

Manipur based Women Action for Development (WAD) has strongly condemned the bomb explosion which killed two sisters of a family and injured the mother of the two girls at a shifting cultivation field at Leishok part 1 (also known as Soubulong) under Khoupum Police Station in Manipur’s Noney District on February 1.

Two sisters of a family – Akhiuna Kamei, 17, and her younger sister Gaikhuanliu Kamei, 15, were killed while mother Duanthaomei sustained injury when an ‘bomb’ believed to have left long ago was exploded at the remote hill village located about 12 km north east Khoupum police station.

Similar incidents had taken place on January 21, 2018 in which two minor boys were killed and one minor girl seriously injured.

Such an action is a war crime and a threat to the civilians, programme coordinator N Nomita of WAD said in a press release here.

The armed forces of the area are liable and responsible to sanitize the area for preventing further unwanted explosion and killing of the innocent peoples.

“We fear the hidden agenda and likeness of force displacement of the villagers?,” the release questioned.

WAD also condemned shooting of father and daughter by unknown miscreants at Chingkhei khullen, Imphal East District under Lamlai police station on February 3, according to the release.

Appealing to the state government to take immediate action against the perpetrators in accordance to the law of the land, the WAD also called upon all the concerned individual or groups to stop committing heinous crime against the civilians and not to repeat in the future.

Earlier, the family members of the deceased refused to accept the bodies of the two sisters as they have put up demands including ex-gratia, a white collar job to the kin of the deceased and cleaning up of unexploded bombs at Leishok village.

However, following an agreement with the government and the representative of Zeliangrong Baudi, Assam, Manipur, Nagaland; Zeliangrong Students’ Union, Manipur and Zeliangrong Youth Front, Assam, Manipur and Nagaland at the minister’s office, the bodies were taken on February 2.

The Zeliangrong bodies are demanding an ex-gratia of Rs 10 lakhs, provision of a suitable government job to the next kin of the deceased and cleaning up of unexploded bombs fired out by the security forces during 2015 at the Jungle of Leishok village.

Sobhapati Samom is Northeast Now Correspondent in Imphal. He can be reached at: [email protected]