Imphal: Suspected Kuki militants on Tuesday night badly beat up nine villagers of Lhungjang in Manipur`s Sadar Hills area for not supporting the area`s Congress candidate in Monday`s Autonomous District Council (ADC) polls. The crucial ADC polls witnessed large-scale booth rigging in all the six hill district councils of Senapati, Chandel, Tamenglong, Sadar Hills, Churachandpur and Ukhrul. Altogether, 495 candidates were in the fray.
Counting will be held on June 10. Workers of the three key contesting parties — Congress, BJP and Naga People`s Front — and Independent candidates have demanded repoll in some polling stations, accusing each other of indulging in unfair practices. The returning officers have recommended repoll in various polling stations where large-scale rigging and malpractices took place.
The state election commission has not announced repoll till the time of filing this report. With numerous bruise marks on their bodies, the nine Sadar Hills villagers are undergoing treatment at Kuki Christian Hospital in Imphal. About 10 armed men barged into Lhungjang village around 7 pm and called out villagers from their houses, the victims told reporters on Wednesday.
"The cadres, suspected to be from a Kuki militant outfit which is a signatory of the Suspension of Operation (SOO) with the government, then herded us to a nearby jungle. Later, they tied our hands.