LAMKA, September 30: A team of security forces confronted the local populace resulting in a stalemate at Dorcas Veng, New Lamka today.
The stalemate between the SF and the locals lasted for about two hours from 11:00am till 1:00pm.
Witnesses said that the SF team had come to arrest a person for allegedly running an arms factory from his residence.
But on finding the man absent from his residence, the team tried to take into custody the man`™s three sons of whom one managed to escape, informed witnesses.
Sources also said that the SF team arrived to the New Lamka locality in three vehicles around 11 am and stopped in front of the house of Hauthianlal Vaiphei and took two of his sons into their vehicle alarming the local womenfolk who came out and blocked their way, informed locals.
A woman who runs a tea stall in the vicinity said the locals have been quite infuriated by the actions of the security forces, who she said had been to the area on several counts in recent times raiding and disturbing the locality.
According to the woman, the most notable recent incident was the raid at the residence of ZRO president, when the security forces had drawn a blank after the raid.
Such raids have only provided an impression to the locals that the security forces are showing off their powers, with no apparent regards of human rights, she lamented.
Womenfolk of the area blocked the team led by a major rank officer from leaving the locality, while an Assam Rifles team from the district came as reinforcement, informed a source.
With emotions getting high on both sides, tension grew and the locals sounded the warning bell which was reciprocated by blank firing from the reinforcement team stationed at some distance from the actual site of incident.
The mob also replied with throwing stones at the AR team.
Later, the police who said they were not informed earlier of the raid arrived at the scene led by SDPO, Churachandpur.
After the tension subsided, commandant of the 27th sector AR Brigadier Aditya Maidan and other officials including ADC, Churachandpur chairman Langkhanpau Guite and his colleagues arrived and released the two boys who were earlier arrested by the security force team.
The agitating womenfolk warned that enough is enough and the security forces cannot make the locality a hunting ground and keep on scaring womenfolk and children.
They said it was good that the incident had occurred in broad daylight; otherwise it could have gone out of control and led to a bloodbath.
Later, the Village Authority called a press conference in the afternoon and said no-one is allowed to come to the locality and disturb the peace without the knowledge of the VA.
Dorcas Veng chairman Tualzathang also praised the womenfolk for stopping the army men who had arrested two young boys.
He added that if in case the army had consulted the VA about the raid beforehand, the unwanted incident could have been averted.