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IMPHAL — The Manipur government on Monday constituted a two-member committee to probe the firing incident in which a youth was shot dead during a clash between the security forces and a mob in Jiribam district.
Manipur Chief Secretary Vineet Joshi while constituting the probe committee said that the service of Senior Superintendent of Police (Combat) Col. (Retd) Nectar Sanjenbam, who led the security forces during the clash with the mob, would also be “discontinued”.
Manipur Chief Secretary Vineet Joshi in an order said that in view of making a detailed inquiry into the reported incident of confrontation between the Special Police Commando team and the protestors in Jiribam on Sunday night leading to bullet injury of two protestors out of whom one succumbed to the injuries.
The Special Police Commando team was led by Col. (Retd) Sanjenbam.
Senior IPS officer Kabip K, Inspector General of Police (Intelligence) would be the Chairman of the committee and another IPS officer Ningshen Worngam, Deputy Inspector General (Range-III) would be the member.
The order asked the committee to submit their findings within 30 days.
After the death of the youth identified as K. Athouba, 21, an irate mob stormed the residence of Senior SP at Imphal.
“A peaceful protest in Jiribam district took a tragic turn when a senior police officer, Colonel (Retd.) Nectar Sanjenbam reportedly opened fire on an unarmed crowd,” a participant of the protest told the media.
Confirming the death of the youth in firing, a police official in Imphal said that who fired the bullet is being ascertained.
However, protesters claimed that the Manipur Police special commando fired to disperse the mob, and the youth was killed in the firing and two others were injured.
The police official said that the mob was attacking and vandalising properties of various leaders’ houses and political party offices on Sunday night.
Meanwhile, students of Manipur University held massive protests on their campus and burnt the effigies of Governor Lakshman Prasad Acharya and Chief Minister N. Biren Singh to protest the killing of the youth.
Protesters in Imphal belonging to the Coordinating Committee on Manipur Integrity (COCOMI), an apex body of the Meitei community, were seen putting posters of lockdown in the government offices.
By Monday evening, the protestors put up the posters of lockdown in the offices of the Chief Electoral Officer, the Directorate of Economics and Statistics, and the Institute of Bioresources and Sustainable Development.
Colonel (Retd.) Sanjenbam was appointed Senior Superintendent of Police (Combat) in August 2023, following a special state cabinet decision that relaxed recruitment norms. His tenure, originally set for five years, was intended to bolster combat operations in the region.