'61 Pellets Removed So Far': 21-Year-Old in ICU After Clashes in Imphal, Manipur

Video Editor: Mohd. Irshad Alam 

Senior Editor: Shelly Walia

"61 pellets have been removed and there are more left to be removed," said a doctor at Raj Medicity Hospital in Manipur's Imphal, where 21-year-old Uttam Soibam has been admitted in the ICU due to pellet injuries.

A national-level Wushu player, Soibam is one of the hundreds of students who has been injured in violent clashes with security forces in the state's capital.

Lying in his hospital bed, Soibam alleged to The Quint that the Rapid Action Force (RAF), a wing of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), had intentionally shot at him and other protesters in Singjamei, located in the Imphal West district.

"They carried out a search operation, and whoever they suspected, they shot at directly," he said.

This is purportedly the first time that pellet guns have been used to control a crowd in Manipur. It has, however, been widely used in Jammu & Kashmir in the past.

Recounting the horrifying incident, Soibam said that on the day of the protest, he and others "took part in a mob." "After that, three of us were hiding in a campus of a house. The RAF shot at us from outside the gate," he added.

Manipur's capital Imphal has been rocked by student-led protests after photos (dated 8 July) of the bodies of Hemjit and 17-year-old Hijam (both Meitei students) surfaced online. They had gone missing on 6 July and had remained untraced.

The RAF has been working with the Manipur Police to control the protesting students.

Taking cognisance of reports about allegations of the use of ‘excess force’ by the security forces, Director General of Police (Manipur) Rajiv Singh on Thursday, 28 September, issued an order to form a committee to look into the same.

“There have been various reports/allegations of the use of excess force by the Security forces during the maintenance of law & order situations in the last few days in the Imphal area. To verify such complaints/allegations, a committee is being formed to look into the issues and submit the report at the earliest,” read the order.

Regarding the 'excessive' usage of force against the students, a senior police official of the Manipur Police told The Quint that an inquiry has been initiated and the law will take its own course.

"When I got hurt, the owner of the house where we were hiding gave me first aid, but the RAF personnel blocked the ambulance for around 30 minutes. Later, with the help of state forces, I was rescued," claimed Soibam.

"There are multiple pellets in the back of the head, and he has also been injured in the left leg, in the back, and in the right arm," the doctor added.