Manipur: Grenade delivered to MSACS project director`s home

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MSACS under siege, Grenade `gift` delivered at MSACS project

director`s home

The Imphal Free Press

IMPHAL, Aug 31: Miscreants suspected to be militants home delivered a

hand grenade at the residence of the project director of Manipur

State AIDS Control Society Friday morning.

Strongly denouncing the act of the miscreants, the employees of the

MSACS staged a sit-in protest today in front of its office at RD wing

complex, Lamphel.

Three youths came in a red Maruti car and handed the grenade after

some talk with the members of the family. Two youths entered the

house while one remained standing at the gate, according to the

project director Dr. TR Kom who also participated in the sit-protest.

He said, " Out of the two youths who entered the house one remained at

the verandah. At that time I was with some people inside the drawing

room.

The youth who was waiting outside shouted, `give it quickly, let`s

go`. Seeing his restlessness and body language, I got suspicious. He

quickly handed something wrapped with a polythene red bag to one of

my people saying, `we are office people, give it to Dr Kom.` "

He put his hand inside to check the content, upon which he realized

it was a grenade, he said adding then he informed the police who

called state police bomb squad and defused the same.

Later the bomb squad personnel destroyed the same at a nearby field

at 10:15 am.

Strongly reacting to the act of the miscreants, Dr Kom said, " I would

like to ask every organization not to repeat such acts. We are

providing services for the sick and ailing and that too for one of

the most sensitive health issues, HIV/AIDS. "

He went on to ask " How can we work amidst all the external

interferences and threat to our lives? This is not the first time

that such acts are being carried out. I have no personal enmity with

anyone. Such acts are a physical and mental torture not only for me

but even for my staffs and family too. "

He further said that earlier he had not received any threat from a

particular underground organization. At the same time he admitted

that some organizations on various occasions put pressure to allow

them to organize certain programmes under MSACS.

A sit-in protest was stage by the staffs of MSACS, including the PD

and deputy directors in front of their office complex at Lamphel RD

wing complex to register a strong protest against the " life

threatening " act of the miscreants suspending office working for the

day. The protest was the first of its carried by MSACS.

Placards like `bomb and gun cannot control HIV/AIDS; no bomb, no gun,

save people from HIV/AIDS; do not give any kind of interferences to

MSACS` effort at controlling and preventing HIV/AIDS` were displayed

at the protest site.

" None of the Project Directors of MSACS left willingly, they were

made to leave by external forces. None of them completed their three

years tenure. It is just a month since I took over and already so

much is happening, " said an exasperated Dr Kom.

It may be mentioned that incidents of locking up MSACS office,

hurling of bombs at the residence of earlier Project Director and lot

of life-threatening attempts on MSACS` officials have happened

earlier too.

Meanwhile, several organisations have expressed their strong

condemnation of the bomb threat made against the MACS project

director.

The Kom Rem Students Union, Kom Rem Development Organisation, and

Lower and Upper Kom Keirap Mothers Association in separate

statements, termed the act as an inhuman one, and appealed not to

repeat it in the future. They also appealed not to disturb the

sanctity of a person`s home, particularly in view of the presence of

elderly people and young children who are innocent of any fault.

Echema, Social Reformation Centre, Service for Advancement of Rural

Development and other organisations, also expressed their strong

concern over the incident, pointing out that MACS has been doing very

good work for the people infected and affected by HIV/AIDS in

Manipur, and appealed to all concerned to ensure that such incidents

do not occur again in the future.

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