HRA takes Kishorchandra's case to UN Rapporteur
Source: The Sangai Express
Imphal, December 23 2018:
Executive Director of HRA, Babloo Loitongbam, has personally briefed UN Special Rapporteur Professor David Kaye, Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), to issue an urgent appeal to secure the release of Kishorchandra Wangkhem who is held under National Security Act for criticizing the BJP-Government of India, apart from submitting a formal complaint, during the Regional Consultation on Trends and Trajectory of the Shrinking Civil Space in Asia which was held from December 20 to 22 at Bangkok.
A press release issued HRA today mentioned the complaint sought the attention of the UN Special Rapporteur towards the ongoing incarceration of journalist Kishorchandra Wangkhem (39), a resident of Keishamthong Moirang Ningthou Leirak, Imphal West, for posting a video in his Facebook account criticizing the BJP led Government.
It explained that on November 19, Kishorchandra Wangkhem, working with ISTV, posted a video in his personal Facebook account expressing his anger and frustration with the BJP-led Government celebrating Rani Jhanshi, which has little to do with the freedom struggle of Manipur.
HRA explained that he expressed his indignation toward the Hindutva ideology, which seeks to obliterate the distinct history and take the identity of Manipur and added that the video in Manipuri language can be seen on-line.
HRA continued that on November 21, Kishorchandra was arrested by Manipur police but Imphal West Magistrate granted him bail on November 26 by concluding that the said words, terms and gestures used by Kishorchandra and the context in which they were used and the comment made by him cannot be termed seditious and that they appear to be mere expression of opinion against public conduct of a public figure in a street language.
The Court also ruled that the act does not appear to be intended to create enmity between different groups of people community, sections etc nor does it appear to be one which attempts to bring hatred, contempt, dissatisfaction against the Central Government or the State Government.
It is a mere expression of opinion against the Prime Minister and the Chief Minister, which cannot be equated with an attack to invite people to violence against the Governments to topple it, the Court had ruled, HRA added.
However, on November 27, Kishorchandra was arrested under the National Security Act (NSA) by an order of the District Magistrate Imphal West and he has been detained under NSA for a period of 12 months, HRA explained.
HRA then conveyed that when students in Manipur tried to hold a peaceful candle light protest on December 8, they could not due to the prohibitory orders under section 144 of the Indian Penal Code, which is permanently claimed in Imphal.
However, in New Delhi where there is no such prohibitory orders, when the Manipuri students tried to stage a protest in front of the Manipur Bhawan on December 16, students were randomly picked up from the metro stations even before they could reach the designated protest site and detained, HRA added.
As such HRA appealed to the UN Special Rapporteur to consider the case and to issue an urgent appeal to the Central Government to release Kishorchandra Wangkhem at the earliest and to check further erosion of the civil society space.
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