Assassination attempt on AMSU president

IMPHAL, January 17: The president of the All Manipur Students Union, AMSU, Khoirom Gourashyam, 31, of Phubala, was shot and wounded by some unidentified gunmen at the AMSU office at the DM College campus this afternoon. Gourashyam, who was hit in the left chest, is reported to be out of danger. He is now under treatment at the JN Hospital. The AMSU has called a 24-hour general strike in the state from midnight tonight in protest against the assassination attempt. According to AMSU sources, some five unidentified youths came to the AMSU headquarters at around 12.50 this afternoon, and while two of them waited outside, three others walked straight inside the president's room, and fired a single round at him at close range. The sources said Gourashyam was preparing a document, while former AMSU finance secretary Rohen and another were with him when the three youths walked in. Without saying a word, one of the youth drew a handgun, and fired at Gourashyam. The bullet grazed his left chest and passed through the muscles in the left armpit. The three gunmen thereafter exited the room after warning the other two men present not to follow them. Gourashyam was later rushed to RIMS Hospital where he was confirmed to be out of danger. He is now being kept in the JN Hospital security ward. Following the incident, a police team lead by the SP, Imphal west and some personnel of the 17th Assam Rifles conducted frisking in the vicinity of the AMSU headquarters and the DM College campus following the incident. Senior police and AR officials also visited Gourashyam at the hospital. AMSU General Secretary Y Premananda, addressing a press conference this evening, said a district committee meeting of the AMSU was about to take place at the time of the incident. He said the assailants came in, mingled among the delegates, and he assumed they had come for the meeting, and even directed them to enter the conference hall. He added that while they were about to begin the meeting, they heard a loud sound, but did not think much of it. Some few minutes later, however, AMSU ex-finance secretary Rohen and his friend came out from Gourashyam's office carrying the wounded AMSU president between them. He said he attempted to trace the assailants, but there were a number of students of the DM College outside the AMSU headquarters, and the assailants managed to escape. Premananda, remarking that this was the first time anyone had made a life attempt on a student leader in the state, and expressed his strong condemnation, calling it a barbaric and uncivilised act. He added that the AMSU was calling a 24-hour general strike in the whole of the state from this midnight in protest against the attack. He stated the assassination attempt was a challenge to the entire student community in the state. He said the AMSU in its entire existence has worked in the interest of the student community and the public, and such a challenge was a highly unreasonable. He appealed to the concerned authorities to investigate the attack on the AMSU president, and to punish the culprits. He further stated that the gunmen involved should make public clarification of the reasons behind the attack.