IT News
Imphal, April 09:
The 3.5 Collective expressed strong condemnation to the arrest of Sintha Laishram alias Herojit, Secretary-General of the Coalition Against Drug and Alcohol (CADA), Thoubal District Committee, Manipur terming it as arbitrary arrest under false charges.
Laishram Herojit alias Sintha, arrested on Wednesday by a team of Thoubal Commando, was produced before the court of CJM Thoubal on Thursday and remanded to five days police custody. As per police sources, he was arrested under Section 39 UA(P) Act on charges of being an overground worker of one underground organisation.
After arresting Herojit Thoubal police team later at around 01:30 pm on the same day, a team of Thoubal Police in three police Gypsies, led by Office-in-Charge of Heirok Police Station came to the house of Sofia and demanded the banners and placards that they used during the protest, saying that the SP Thoubal would like to inspect them a statement of the 3.5 collectives said.
It added that as Sofia went inside her house to take it out male police commando also barged into her house without seeking any permission. She demanded them to stay outside as it is a lady’s room, but they refused and then the lady police personnel barged in searching for the placards. They confiscated all banners and placards and whisked them away.
The statement also said that the very same day another raid was also conducted at the house of Shintha Laishram at around 2:00 pm. where three police vehicles came and abducted him in front of his parents. When his mother pleaded for the reason for the arrest, the police personnel told her that they also do not know the reason. No arrest memo was issued. His room was ransacked and thoroughly searched without showing any search warrant.
The 3.5 Collective Coalition Against Drugs and Alcohol (CADA) is a civil society organisation campaigning against the menace of drugs and alcohol in Manipur since its inception in 2006. The recent acquittal of Loukhosei Zou, Chairman, Autonomous District Council, Moreh who was arrested with 2.7 million rupees worth of drugs from his official residence in 2018 is protested by several civil society groups.
As a part of the ongoing campaigns, CADA jointly organised a sit-in protest meeting with Ningol Club (a civil society organisation of maidens) on 07 April 2021 at around 10.00 AM. The protestors displayed several placards demanding the appeal of the judgement acquitting Zou to the higher court, including a slogan that the “Chief Minister should resign”.
The statement further said that the Superintendent of Police, Thoubal District, Dr. Sarangthem lbomcha (Manipur Police Service) called up over the phone to Sofia Khundongbam, President, Ningol Club, expressed his annoyance that their slogan “Chief Minister should resign” has created a “fuss in the high ups” and that his image have been ruined.
Interestingly, the prayer for remand by the H. Johnny Sharma, SDPO, Thoubal to the Chief Judicial Magistrate, Thoubal District stated the place of arrest as Wangjing near Canteen Lampak, which is totally contradictory to the facts as he was arrested from his own house in front of a dozen witnesses including his own parents, the statement said and added that the arrest memo produced to the Chief Judicial Magistrate, Thoubal District was not signed neither by Shintha himself nor his family member/ members of the local community; rather it was signed by two police personnel namely Mr. Ch. Layland Singh (constable number 0908326) and I. Santosh Singh (constable number 17428).
The 3.5 Collective said such action is contrary to the law of the land.
“The 3.5 Collective consider this act of concocting false and fabricated charges as an action of reprisal for demanding appeal against judgment acquitting Lukhosei Zou and others”, it added.
The organization urged the Government of Manipur to drop all the false charges against human rights defender Shintha Laishram and set him free immediately.
“We would also like to reiterate our stand to fight for a drug free Manipur in line with Sustainable Development Goal number 3 target 5, and such act of reprisal will not deter our commitment”, it said.
He was initially taken to the Commando Barrack, Thoubal and later handed over to the Thoubal Police Station. He was illtreated and slapped on his left ear by Officerin-Charge of Thoubal Police Commando, one inspector Tiken, for not signing on an Arrest Memo with a fabricated charge as an over ground worker of an outlawed organisation. ln the FIR drawn up against him he is slapped with the fabricated charges of section 39 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967, the statement of the 3.5 collective said.
