Traders down shutters against killing

Shops remain shut in Thangal Bazar and M.G. Avenue

Imphal, March 25 : All shops in Imphal’s Thangal Bazar were shut today as a mark of protest against the killing of a businessman by unidentified gunmen in broad daylight yesterday. The trading community demanded the arrest and punishment of the culprits. The businessman’s wife left Imphal today to perform Gupta’s last rites in Gurgaon in Haryana. Unidentified men shot dead Deepak Gupta, 40, the proprietor of Janata Radio Sales and Services, inside his shop at Thangal Bazar at 3pm yesterday. Police said three persons, including a woman with a baby, walked into the shop and one of the two men took out a pistol from the bag of the woman and fired at Gupta, who died on his way to hospital. During the cordon and search operations around the market place, the police gunned down two persons and claimed to have recovered one pistol and one hand grenade from them. However, it was not confirmed whether these were the same people who shot Gupta. All shops at Thangal Bazar and nearby M.G. Avenue and Alu Gulli remained closed for the day as a mark of protest against the attack. However, banks, including the SBI and the UBI, were open. “We condemn the attack on the businessman. This is too much. We demand the arrest and punishment of the assailants,” Amrik Singh Pawah, convenor of Imphal Bazar Board, said. He said nobody forced the shopkeepers to down shutters, rather it was a spontaneous protest. Radhabinod Koijam, leader of the Opposition in the Assembly, blamed the failure of the law and order machinery of the Okram Ibobi Singh government for the attack. “We have been saying that the Ibobi Singh government has failed to protect the life and property of the people. Yesterday’s is the latest example of the failure,” said Koijam, who visited Thangal bazar and met the traders. The widow of the businessman, Poonam Gupta, today left with her husband’s body for their home in Gurgaon. The two men shot dead by the police after the attack were identified by their families this morning. The two are Md Zuma Khan of Thoubal district and Thongam Ibomcha Singh of Imphal East. The families denied any militant link and are yet to take the bodies. There is no report of any form of protest till this afternoon, but the residents of their localities are expected to launch an agitation against the killing. Man shot: A suspected militant shot at and injured a village pradhan, identified as N. Ranjit, at Nachou in Bishnupur district today. Ranjit, who was shot in the leg, was out of danger.