In protest against the alleged callous attitude of 7th IRB and its Commanding Officer (CO) towards the accident victims, TSA General Headquarters has imposed a 24-hour bandh along Imphal-Dimapur Road (NH-2), Imphal-Moreh Road (also NH-2) and Imphal-Churachandpur Road (NH-150) from 3 am today.
Meanwhile, KSO, Churachandpur district asserted that there is no TSA in Churachandpur district.
"The recognized Thadou students' body in the district is not Thadou Student's Association (TSA) but Thadou Kuki Students' Union (TKSU).
The persons sashaying as members of TSA are some mischief makers who defied the orders of the Kuki Inpi Churachandpur (KIC) to disband.
The apex body of the Kukis in the district, KIC, does not recognize the existence of TSA in Churachandpur district as per the agreement signed by all civil society organisations on April 13, 2002, where TSA was disbanded to form TKSU in its stead," the KSO stated.
It then said the bandh was not supported because the KSO Churachandpur district does not sanction or permit any activity by any unrecognized body or civil society organisation which may disrupt public life within the district.
"In fact, the editor of Hill's Today, who was on his way to Moreh town in connection with Haolenphai land acquisition issue was harassed by bandh supporters at Pallel and his vehicle was vandalized," the KSO, Churachandpur alleged.
The KSO strongly condemned the treatment meted out to pressmen in such manner without an iota of respect to freedom of movement of the press fraternity.
The Kuki students' body further said that the bandh was not supported because it would disturb the students who have to appear in the Higher Secondary compartmental exams today.
"True to this apprehension, candidates who came to appear the compartmental exams in Imphal were subjected to harassments in the hands of TSA's bandh supporters at Motbung and other places", it alleged.
KSO said it could not condone the violent nature of some bandh supporters in the morning today.
As such the KSO stopped the bandh supporters to carry out any activity related with the bandh.
"Hence, normal life in Churachandpur district continued unaffected," it added.
The KSO then expressed sympathy to the family involved in the motor accident.
"At the same time, KSO demanded that the culprit police officer who caused all these troubles be reprimanded by the concerned authority in the interest of justice and social harmony.
The government should resolve the accident case at the earliest and sanction appropriate compensation to the victim family before the matters get out of hands," the KSO, Churachandpur district stated.