Monika Devi

Imphal, Sept. 8: Nearly a month after Manipur stopped participating in national and zonal games to protest against depriving L. Monika Devi a Beijing Olympics berth, the state’s players are set to resume taking part in competitions soon.

The co-ordinating committee of citizens organisations and sports bodies, that has been spearheading the fight against the injustice to Monika Devi, took a decision today to “temporarily suspend” the decision of non-participation. A public meeting held on August 11 at the indoor stadium of Khuman Lampak Sports Complex here resolved not to send any players from Manipur to zonal, national and international meets until persons responsible for the Monika fiasco were punished.

“In view of the Centre’s initiatives and also honouring people’s wishes, the co-ordinating committee has decided to suspend the restrictions temporarily,” president of Manipur Olympic Association and convenor of the committee E. Binoy Singh said.

He said people and sports associations wanted to take the fight on the grounds that rather than abstaining from competitions, players would compete with a “sense of vengeance” within the parameters of sports.

Monika Devi also took part in today’s meeting and said she would accept any decision taken by the people of Manipur.

Binoy Kumar, however, said the restrictions would be re-imposed if the Centre failed to punish the guilty. “We will wait for the report of the probe being carried out by former Chief Election Commissioner T.S. Krishnamurthy and the CBI. Total lifting of the restrictions would depend on responses from the Centre to our demand,” he said.

He hoped that the guilty persons would definitely be found out in the preliminary probe and the CBI would go to a fullscale investigation later on. The decision came after the CBI reportedly started a preliminary inquiry into the Monika issue.

After relaxing the restrictions, the committee would organise a solidarity rally, demanding the Centre to complete whatever inquiries it was holding and punish the persons responsible, on September 10 from the sports complex to the palace gate, where a public meeting would be held. Sportspersons, students, women’s organisations and members of various citizen bodies will take part in the rally.

Employees’ agitation

Employees of the Manipur youth affairs and sports directorate today suspended their normal work to hold a sit-in, led by the director, Bobby Waikhom, at the gate of the directorate inside the Khuman Lampak Sports Complex here.

The employees were protesting against threats and intimidation from various militant groups, which were making demands ranging from money to sports equipment and other items. The sit-in continued for six hours beginning at 11am.

Placards reading “No to bombs and yes to balls” were put up at the site of the sit-in.

“We are holding the protest to highlight our grievances and also appeal for making sports department free from any disturbances,” the director said.

Though the department has been receiving monetary demands from various armed groups from time to time the trigger for today’s demonstration was a demand note followed by a telephonic threat. “An unknown person gave one of our employees a letter on September 2. The letter did not mention name of any party, but listed its demands including sports materials and non-sports items like shoes and uniforms,” the director said.

The letter was followed by a telephone call on September 5. The caller, who reportedly identified himself as a member of the Peoples Revolutionary Party of Kangleipak, warned the employees that consequences of failing to meet the demands would not be good.

Waikhom, however, said they could not say whether the demand letter or the telephone call were actually from the Prepak.

The director said in addition to the demand, four other militant groups based in the hills also made monetary demands ranging from Rs 5 lakh to Rs 10 lakh. Following the threats, armed police personnel were deployed near the gates of the directorate.

Apart from the extortion threats, some unknown persons have also been pressuring the officials of the department to admit some students into the Northeast Sports Academy.

The employees said the caller said the party deployed two cadres to ensure that the demands were met. This threat created a fear psychosis among the employees.

“The coaches could not attend classes regularly. We have time-bound programmes. Such threats and intimidation have affected efficiency of the staff members,” the director said.

Stating that the department is existing to groom sportspersons of national and international level, it would be difficult to produce successful sports persons if the disturbances continued.

“We strongly urge all sections of the people to give us the support, make sports free from any disturbance and allow us to bring out more international sportspersons from the state,” Waikhom said.