Playing with smaller fishes
- Hueiyen Lanpao Editorial :: May 08, 2013 -

Sentencing of a drug smuggler to rigorous imprisonment for 10 years for carrying 100 kg of marijuana in a case dating back to August 2002 as well as refusal of granting bail plea and sending all the eleven accused police commandos, who were intercepted while trying to smuggle out a huge consignment of drugs to Moreh by a team of Thoubal Police Commandos on April 28 at Pallel, to judicial custody for 11 days by a Special Court of Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (ND & PS) here, all on a single day, may sound terrific.

It may also give the impression that the Government of Manipur is finally waking up to the seriousness of drug problem in the State and realize that giving lip service on solving the problem would not serve the purpose anymore without some concrete actions.

However, the bitter truth is that the conviction of the drug smuggler identified as Md Riyajuddin (33) of Jirighat Badigar in Cachar district of Assam but staying in a rented house at Hafiz Hatta, Minuthong has come after almost 11 years of getting caught with 100 kg of marijuana from his rented house by a team of Narcotic Affairs and Border (NAB) on August 5, 2002.

Anyway, if this is truly the case of long arm of the law finally catching up with the wrong doers, then one can be optimistic of more similar cases being settled in near future setting this as a precedent.

On the other hand, even though all the 11 accused police commandos in the 2nd Pallel drug haul have been send to the judicial custody for 11 days, the tardy manner in which the case is being handled has raised more questions that the Investigating Officer (IO) himself would be able to provide answers.

While deposing before the court of Chief Judicial Magistrate, Thoubal just a day after the arrest, the two police officers, namely Sub-Inspector Beisamayum Devdas and Jamadar H Premananda, who were leading the 'drug smuggling Police Commando team' have revealed that they were carrying the drug consignment at the instructions of SI RK Binojit, OC in-Charge of Moreh Commando Unit and it was handed over to them at Patpan Lamlhai, Khongjom by one Mahommad Ali, who often came to meet the OC in-charge, and thus, a familiar face to all of them.

Furthermore, as per the report submitted by the IO to the Special Court of ND & PS yesterday (May 6), it has been known that the commandos team had been assured of an amount of Rs 1,20,000 as transportation charge for carrying drugs from Imphal to Moreh by an associate of Mohammad Ali.

So, even as there is the need to find out the identity of this associate of Mohammad Ali, why the police, who have been empowered to make use of the long arm of the law, have not been able to arrest either Mohammad Ali or SI RK Binojit so far is worrisome.

What is stopping the police from arresting the two key figures who would have thrown more light on the present case?

If the State Government and its Police Department are really sincere towards curbing the menace of drugs in Manipur, then no room for public suspicion should be given over a possible larger conspiracy to cover up the true faces of the 'bigger fishes' while playing with the smaller fishes.