Actress incurs village wrath - Ban on Momoco filming near cemetery

ctress incurs village wrath - Ban on Momoco filming near cemetery

OUR SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT

Momoco at one of the protest rallies in Imphal. File picture Imphal, March 10: Manipuri actress Momoco was chastised today for filming near the grave of the journalist who was killed during protests against her alleged molestation by an NSCN (I-M) militant. Members of a local club, Naharol Leishem Club, who had gone up Cheiraoching hill at Sinam, on the outskirts of Imphal to clean the graveyard, found Momoco and her team filming for a Manipuri video feature film, Meehatpa-II (Murder-II) around 10am today. The shoot was taking place nearly 200 metres from the grave where journalist Thangjam Dwijamani is buried. His family members plan to construct a memorial there. Members of the club and meira paibis in the area took the actress, the producer and director to the club office and gave the trio a dressing down. "We are yet to recover from the shock of Dwijamani's death and our tears are yet to dry up. Dwijamani died because of you. And you have the guts to come and shoot near his graveyard?" L. Pratap Meitei, the president of the club, asked the actress. The club thereafter announced a ban on Momoco's shooting around Dwijamani's graveyard forever. It also decided not to allow any film company to shoot in the area without its permission. The director, Ksh. Kishore Kumar, and producer Ksh. Anup also apologised to the residents, along with Momoco and her mother, Asha Devi, who accompanied them. Only then they were allowed to leave. Momoco was allegedly molested by NSCN (I-M) militant R.P. Livingstone during a concert in Chandel district on December 18 last year. He had also fired at two of her co-artistes when they tried to intervene. No one was injured in the firing. However, the incident triggered a violent agitation, in the course of which protesters torched passing vehicles and burnt tyres along the roads. Dwijamani was killed in police firing while covering an incident where protesters set fire to a police truck carrying civilians, on December 23. The Ibobi Singh government had promised a job for Dwijamani's wife Narmada Devi and Rs 5 lakh as compensation but the residents are still furious over the young journalist's death. Moreover, the government is yet to give an appointment order to the widow and of the promised Rs 5 lakh, the family was given only Rs 3 lakh. http://www.telegraphindia.com/1130311/jsp/frontpage/story_16657000.jsp#.UT3o96JQl4I