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Militants ambush Manipur CM’s convoy

Singh condemned the dastardly attacks on his security personnel after his convoy was allegedly attacked by armed miscreants in Manipur’s Kotlen on Monday…reports Asian Lite News

An advance security convoy of Manipur chief minister N. Biren Singh was ambushed by unidentified miscreants in Kangpokpi district on Monday, leaving two police personnel injured, police said. The convoy was on its way to Jiribam to assess the security situation ahead of Singh’s visit to the district that has been affected by violence in the past one week.

The incident took place at T Laijang village near Kotlen under Kangpokpi district, around 10.50 a.m. In the attack, the driver of a Bolero identified as Moirangthem Ajesh alias Bobo (28) sustained injuries after he was hit by a bullet on the back. A CID personnel in civvies, who was in the convoy, also suffered minor injuries after a bullet hit on his leg.

Both the injured were rushed to Imphal. Soon after the incident, a combing operation was launched by joint security forces. Singh, who reached Imphal on Monday after attending the swearing-in ceremony of the Union Cabinet in Delhi, termed the incident a “direct attack on the people of the State.”

“It is very unfortunate and highly condemnable. It’s an attack on the chief minister, which means a direct attack on the people of the State,” Singh said. He said that the government will take a decisive action against those behind the violence in the state.

Singh condemned the dastardly attacks on his security personnel after his convoy was allegedly attacked by armed miscreants in Manipur’s Kotlen on Monday.

“I strongly condemn the dastardly attacks on the security personnel who are carrying out their duties day and night in service of the state and the country,” Singh said in a post on ‘X’.

The Chief Minister paid a visit to the injured security personnel at the hospital and said that the miscreants will be brought to justice.

“Visited the injured security personnel who are being treated at Shija hospital. They were ambushed on the way to Jiribam by armed miscreants. The assailants will be brought to justice,” he added.

Biren Singh was expected to visit Jiribam after reports of fresh violence in the area.

According to Manipur Police, several houses belonging to both Meitei and Kuki communities were burnt by unknown miscreants in Kotlen following the murder of a person.

Around 600 people from Manipur’s Jiribam area are now taking shelter in Assam’s Cachar district following fresh violence reported in Manipur’s Jiribam area. The Cachar district police have heightened security along the bordering areas.

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India News Politics Punjab

Hardliner Simranjit Mann thanks militants for Sangrur win

Congress spokesperson Jaiveer Shergill tweeted, “Result of Sangrur, Punjab bypolls must serve as an alarm bell for all the stakeholders of Punjab.”…reports Asian Lite News

Simranjit Singh Mann, the Shiromani Akali Dal (Amritsar) candidate who won the bypoll from Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann’s home turf Sangrur, attributed his victory to Khalistani militant Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale and said he would raise the issues of “Indian Army’s atrocities in Kashmir” in parliament.

Mann, who defeated the Aam Aadmi Party, or AAP, candidate, said he would also flag the “killing of tribal people in Bihar and Chhattisgarh calling them Naxalites”.

The Congress expressed concern over his election, with party spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala tweeting. “Democracy lost today in Sangrur”. “Punjab can’t be pushed back in the blind alley of violence and terrorism. If what is reported is true, Democracy lost today in Sangrur,” tweeted Surjewala.

Congress spokesperson Jaiveer Shergill tweeted, “Result of Sangrur, Punjab bypolls must serve as an alarm bell for all the stakeholders of Punjab.”

“The mandate given by people is always supreme and this time it has tipped in favour of Simranjit Singh Mann. However, Mann’s ideology has proven toxic for Punjab and our nation in the past. His Khalistani agenda is a threat to the peace and integrity of Punjab and country,” tweeted Congress’s Ravneet Singh Bittu.

Will Mann enter Parliament with Kirpan again?

In 1999 when the bespectacled public school-educated former IPS officer was elected from Sangrur, he was allowed to enter the Lok Sabha by donning the sword, his trademark.

But in 1989 when Mann, a long-time supporter of Khalistan movement who said Sikhs are not terrorists and they are fighting for a cause, was elected with a record margin of over four lakh votes from the Tarn Taran Lok Sabha seat he was debarred from entering the Lok Sabha carrying his sword and he failed to attend the House.

Mann, who built up his campaign over the recent killing of popular singer Sidhu Moosewala, attributed his win to the youth, Khalistani militant leader Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale, who was killed during Operation Bluestar that was carried out by the Indian Army in June 1984 to flush out militants hiding in the Golden Temple complex, and all ‘shaheeds’ (those killed during militancy).

His close aides said that among Mann’s topmost priorities would be to secure the release of a large number of Sikh youths languishing in jails for years.

Convent educated and former Indian Police Service (IPS) officer, Mann, who on Sunday defeated AAP candidate Gurmail Singh by 5,822 votes, has been critical of the Shiromani Akali Dal leadership for doing nothing for those who have been languishing in jails without any trial.

He’s also strong advocate for long-pending demands of Punjab, which include river water sharing, handing over of Punjabi speaking areas and the transfer of Chandigarh.

Three-time Member of Parliament, Mann resigned from the IPS in 1984 and from the Lok Sabha in 1990 after not being allowed to carry a sword inside Parliament.

The bypoll for Sangrur was necessitated following the resignation of Bhagwant Mann, who won the Assembly election in February from the Dhuri constituency and became the Chief Minister.

The bypoll is the first major electoral battle after the AAP’s resounding victory in the state Assembly polls.

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