June 08, 2026 (TBL): Personnel of the SPO/VDF, Heirok, provided financial assistance of ₹138,000 to the family of late SPO Thokchom Manglem of Heirok, who died on May 21 in a road accident on the Heirok Bypass Road.
The assistance was handed over to Manglem’s family at their residence in Heirok Part (II) Keithel Mamang by leaders of the SPO/VDF, Heirok.
Speaking during the handover, Khumanthem Gunadhor, Commander of E Company, SPO Heirok, said that although 300 SPOs were recruited in Heirok after the 2008 firing attack by unidentified miscreants in the area and many VDF personnel have since served across Manipur, the state government has so far not addressed the hardships faced by families when an SPO or VDF personnel dies.
He urged the government to look into the problems faced by such families.
Gunadhor said the assistance was collected from VDF personnel in Heirok, with each contributing ₹500. He added that it is a practice among VDF personnel in Heirok to support the families of colleagues who pass away.
He further stated that when a member serving on duty dies, the family’s difficulties are something they cannot ignore. In the past too, financial help has been extended to the families of deceased VDF personnel, and requests have been made to the government to intervene, but no action has been seen so far.
Thokchom Sanathoi, younger brother of Heirok AC MLA Dr. Thokchom Radheshyam, and several locals also attended the event. Sanathoi appreciated the SPO personnel of Heirok for extending help on multiple occasions and said he would share in the grief of Manglem’s family. He added that he would take up the matter with the MLA to ensure that Manglem’s wife receives a widow pension.
