IMPHAL, February 7: The Chief Judicial Magistrate Thoubal today sent 15 protesting Village Defence Force personnel to the Sajiwa Central jail while granting bail to three others after they were arrested from various places during the first day of their indefinite general strike.
VDFs of the state had called an indefinite general strike in the state demanding pay increment.It may be mentioned that the Chief Minister while acknowledging their demand as reasonable had said during a press conference on Wednesday that calling a general strike without any talks with the government is unreasonable.
The Thoubal police had arrested 18 VDF personnel from different areas of the district since the start of the indefinite general strike and produced them before the Thoubal CJM today.
The CJM sent 15 of them to the Sajiwa Central jail while granting bail to three of them.
Meanwhile, passenger vehicles including buses, Tata magic and wingers stayed off the road giving the Khwairamband Keithel a deserted look.
Police had to resort to firing teargas shells at some places of Imphal East district including Irilbung and Thambalkhong around 9 am to disperse strike supporters who were piling trees and burning tyres upon the road. In the afternoon around 1pm, police fired teargas shells again to disperse strike supporters from burning tyres at Sawombung Lamkhai.