IMPHAL, February 27: Armed miscreants shot at and injured critically a candidate in Manipur late Saturday night.
JD(U) candidate Wahengbam Rojit Singh aka Bullet contesting the election from Kshetrigao Assembly constituency in Imphal East district was shot at by two unidentified miscreants who came on an Activa scooter at Naharup Makhapat village last night, around 11.30 pm, police said. He was immediately rushed to Raj Medicity hospital, Imphal. Hospital sources said that a bullet hit on Rojit’s back exited on the right chest. His condition is critical but stable, sources added.
Sources said that miscreants fired at the candidate who was returning after visiting his polling camps in the area along with his security escorts, taking advantage of the darkness. After shooting the candidate, the assailants escaped in the same scooter they came with, reports said.
Meanwhile, condemning the shooting of the candidate, sit-in-protests were staged at various places across Kshetrigao Assembly constituency. The protesters demanded immediate arrest of the assailants while alleging it was an attempt on the life of the candidate while calling for a free and fair poll in the constituency.
The Manipur unit of Janata Dal (United) also condemned the attack on its candidate while urging the state chief electoral officer (CEO) and the Election Commission of India to order an enquiry into the incident and also to provide protection to the JD(U) workers and family members of the candidate W Rojit Singh.
Party president Rajiv Ranjan Singh alias Lalan Singh and leader and Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar have spoken to the wife of the wounded candidate over phone.
Leaders of the party in Manipur also visited the hospital where Rojit is being treated, a statement of the JD(U) said.
The JD(U) then appealed to the people to observe restraint, not to get shattered by the incident and elect W Rojit Singh with a big margin.
Kshetrigao Assembly constituency where the injured Rojit is in the fray will go to poll in the first phase on February 28 along with 37 other constituencies across six districts of the state.
Five candidates are in the fray from the constituency. (Newmai News Network)