Source: The Sangai Express
Imphal, September 16, 2009:
As part of the police crackdown to contain the public movement against the BT road firing incident, a police team intending to arrest a youth, instead picked up the father, who ironically is a National awardee.
The father, who was detained in police custody for 24 hours after being picked up yesterday, has been identified as Khangembam Mangi (87) of Thangmeiband Lourung Purel leikai.
Mangi was conferred the Sangeet Natak Akademi award by the then president of india Dr APJ Abdul kalam as a Pena artiste.
strongly condemning detention of the aged person, representatives of Thangmeiband Youths' Organisation, Thangmeiband Lourung Purel Leikai, demanded that Government fix responsibility against the police personnel involved in picking up Mangi and to order an inquiry into the matter.
Speaking to newspersons at the Club office today after his release, mangi conveyed that his son Kh Khaba is the vice president of All manipur Students' Union and that a police team of Imphal police station sought information regarding his son.
"At the time the police team showed up at my residence at around 9 am yesterday, I was getting ready to attend a meeting of religious leaders," Mangi - a Pena artiste, said and added that he was asked to accompany the police team on being told that his son (Khaba) was not at home.
With his plea that he was supposed to attend an important meeting rejected, Mangi was reportedly driven away to the Imphal police station where he was quizzed intensely to the point of even revealing minute details of his family.
Mangi claimed that he was asked to produce Khaba to the police station within 5-10 days and his detention was prolonged with police personnel insisting there is no order from the higher-ups to release him.
The National Awardee further revealed that inspite of his frailty and advanced age, he was kept in the police station with only a piece of bread (place) for dinner despite the fact that he was taken away from home without having his morning meal (lunch).
prior to his release this morning with consent of the higher-ups, Mangi was served tea at the police station, he mentioned and hastened to add that he was not mistreated during the detention period.
THYO president Aribam Gautam contended that arresting the father after failure to apprehend the son is in violation of rights enshrined in the Indian Constitution.
The police action of detaining mangi for more than 24 hours also undermines constitutional provision, Gautam observed.