IMPHAL, Sep 5: Police today foiled attempts by JCILPS and BJP to storm the Manipur Legislative Assembly.
In the confrontations with the police five BJP workers were injured and were taken to JNIMS, said sources.
At around 10 am, BJP workers and supporters marched towards Assembly complex from Khoyathong traffic island but they were blocked by police.
This led to a tense confrontation between the two sides. As the situation grew worse, police fired several rounds of tear gas shells and the BJP protesters retaliated by pelting stones.
Another group of BJP workers tried to take out a protest rally at Thangmei-band Lairenhanjaba Leikai but the rally was cut short by police.
A third group of BJP workers made another attempt to take out a mass rally at Lamphel Sanakeithel and it was led by former DGP Y Joykumar.
As they were blocked by police, the protesters turned back.
A similar attempt was also made at Khurai Lamlong which was also foiled by police. At all these places, police put up barricades including barb wires.
As the Lamlong bridge was sealed by police, commuters faced a lot of inconveniences.
In the afternoon, JCILPS Women Wing took out a protest rally from Keishampat junction. The marchers shouted slogans like “The State Assembly should pass a new Bill”, “Long Live Manipur” etc.
With police putting up a strong barricade, the marchers turned back from Keishampt junction and marched along Tiddim Road.
Again, BJP workers and supporters attempted to take out a protest rally near Thangmeiband THAU ground but their attempt was thwarted by police.
In the meantime, JCILPS Students’ Wing tried to take out a protest rally at Thangmeiband Muji Leirak.
As police tried to thwart the rally, members of JCILPS Students’ Wing pelted stones towards them. The police team retaliated by firing tear gas shells.
With curfew claimed within a 1 Km radius of the Assembly complex since last midnight, a large number of police personnel were deployed and they put barricades including barb wires at Khoyathong, Lilashing Khongnangkhong and along all the roads leading to the Assembly complex from different directions.
