Imphal: A court order to allow four expelled families to enter their homesteads triggered a violent protest in Keirao area of Manipur’s Imphal East district on Wednesday.
Seven years ago, locals of Keirao Makting Awang Leikai had expelled the four families from their locality on the charge of killing Md Hasmat Ali, a school headmaster, on the charge of stealing a cow. Ali died in a mob lynching incident occurred in the locality on November 2, 2015. Alleging that the four families were responsible for the false alarm that led to the lynching of the headmaster, the locals expelled the four families from the locality forever.
After hearing a petition filed by the four families, the court of Civil Judge, Imphal Division today passed an order allowing the four families to enter and live in their respective homes.
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Following the court’s order, members of the four families escorted by a team of Irilbung police station of Imphal East district tried to enter their homesteads today, around 11.30 am. However, the locals prevented them from entering their homesteads while demanding that the “killers” of the headmaster should be punished as per law.
The locals were saying that no killer can live in their locality. They blocked the road by stretching logs and piling stones.
Meanwhile, in view of the prevailing tense situation, the police escorted back the members of the four families, following which locals calmed down.
One of the agitating locals told reporters that they would not allow any of the members of the four families to their homestead until the killers of the headmaster are punished by the law court. She warned that if the family members tried to enter, it would invite a more intense form of agitation from the locals. She, however, said that the four families can settle in any other place after selling their homesteads.
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