New Delhi: On January 16, a policeman in civilian clothing was seen running at great speed on an Imphal street, holding an effigy made of cloth and hay.
Posing as a civilian in the ongoing street-protests against the Centre’s decision to pass the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill 2016, the policeman reportedly got close to the effigy – which was being readied to be burnt by the Manipur Muslim Welfare Organisation (MMWO). Then he grabbed it and before anyone could react, began running away, only to be chased by the protesters.
The effigy was of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
As the members of MMWO charged toward them to snatch back the effigy, the Imphal Free Press reported, Imphal East Police commandoes “hurled smoke grenade towards the members and then the situation was put under control. No one was detained during the incident.”
Bravery award for this cop who disguised himself as a civilian and ran away with the effigy of PM @narendramodi. He saved the PM from burning by protestors against Citizenship Amendment Bill in Manipur. pic.twitter.com/LhPWrckPWr
— Naorem Mohen (@laimacha) January 17, 2019
This is not the first time the Prime Minister’s effigy was set to be burnt in the state. Nor was it the first time Manipur Police rescue have had to rescue an important personality from the clutches of protesters.
Just days earlier, on January 13, an effigy of Modi was burnt in Thoubal district by the Youth’s Action Committee for Protection of Indigenous People. According to news reports, “Hundreds of people, including womenfolk and students of different schools and colleges, took part in the protest rally.”
Also read: Modi’s Poll Speech in Assam Supporting Citizenship Bill Sparks a Maelstrom
In September 2018, the state police managed to save the effigy of Adya Prasad Pandey, vice-chancellor of Manipur University, from being burnt by Youth Congress members. Local news report, however, added that they couldn’t save the dummy of chief minister N. Biren Singh, which was burnt by Congress workers in protest against the state’s decision to arrest a number of student leaders and professors opposing Pandey’s alleged ham-handedness in university affairs.
Since the news spread about the passage of the Bill in the Lok Sabha, there has been an eruption of street protests not just in Manipur but throughout the Northeast. A common factor in these protests was the burning of the Prime Minister’s effigy. At least six such cases have been reported from BJP-ruled Assam in the last two weeks, and one case from Meghalaya, where BJP is a part of the government.
Modi’s effigy was also burnt at protests in the tribal-dominated areas of BJP-ruled Tripura. To quell one such demonstration, state police reportedly opened fire on the protesters, injuring 15. According to the protesters, the police also fired at the bust of the revered Tiprasa Maharaja, Bir Bikram Manikya, in Khumulwng.
Last July, the BJP government named the Agartala airport after the Maharaja, a long-standing demand of the state’s tribal population.