Ukhrul: Unidentified armed miscreants reportedly fired blanks during a consultative meeting organised by lone intending Congress candidate Alfred Kanggam Arthur for the Outer Manipur seat in the Lok Sabha elections 2024.
This marks the second consecutive incident of firing during a meeting addressed by former Congress MLA Arthur.
The latest incident occurred around 11 am during an interaction program at Teinem village under Chingai sub-division in Ukhrul district, according to reliable sources. Although no injuries were reported, attendees panicked and sought safety amid the chaos.
This incident follows a similar firing incident on Monday during a consultative meeting by the former Congress MLA from Ukhrul assembly constituency at TK Woodland Resort, approximately 20 km from Ukhrul town. This marked the first untoward incident in the state related to the ensuing Lok Sabha elections 2024.
Condemning the incidents, Manipur Congress president K Meghachandra described them as unfortunate.
The Congress legal department has written to the chief electoral officer, Manipur, urging for necessary orders to ensure the protection and security coverage of its intending candidate Alfred Arthur until the completion of the upcoming election.
“Because of the incidents, our candidate has apprehension of his life risk and as such he needs to be protected by the law enforcing agencies at the earliest so as to save the democracy otherwise the right citizen particularly our intending candidate would be violated,” the Congress stated.
“There will be no free and fair election in the state of Manipur if such situation is continued,” the party added.
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Expressing concern over the safety of their candidate, the Congress emphasised the need for immediate protection by law enforcement agencies to uphold democracy and prevent any violation of the rights of citizens, particularly the intending candidate.
The Manipur Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC) has recommended Arthur’s name for the outer seat and four others for the inner Manipur constituency.
Also Read | Manipur: Miscreants open fire at Cong meeting, candidate escapes unhurt