IRB men stage mutiny over CO's acts
Source: Hueiyen News Service
Imphal, April 21 2011:
Personnel of the 8th IRB today staged a mutiny in their battalion headquarters attached to the 7th Manipur Rifles at Khabeisoi in Imphal East district, over alleged misconduct of their Commanding Officer (CO), Nongmeikapam Satrajit.
A group of around 300 mutinous personnel laid down their service arms and stayed away from their duties from around 7 am till around 9 am.
They also barred CO Satrajit from entering the battalion campus.
The personnel alleged that since Satrajit was transferred as CO of the battalion, they have been harrassed both mentally and physically.
They alleged that he used to come drunk late at night and paraded them.
Apart from assaulting them physically on many occasions, he also scolded the personnel with abusive words.
He was so cruel that they had to take permission for even operating the generator during blackouts.
He also frequently interfered even when a Naik was trying to control a rifleman, they alleged.
He resorted to release monthly salaries, ration money, etc.
of the personnel after entering the ammounts to his personal account even though it was meant to be drawn from the personal accounts of the personnel as per rules.
The attitude of CO Satrajit was in total contrast to earlier COs, they said reminding that when Th Basanta was the CO, no such things had ever happened.
Satrajit has been duping them in all manner since he took over the charge of CO, the IRB personnel alleged and demanded the immediate transfer of the CO to another place.
When the IRB personnel barred the entry of their CO into their campus, the CO of 7th MR, Kh Chandramani, intervened and convinced the agitating personnel to calm down.
After giving an assurance to discuss the matter at the higher level, he put up the matter to the knowledge of the DGP.
Later, Chandramani informed the personnel that the DGP had assured him of transferring CO Satrajti at the earliest and then the personnel called off their agitation around 9 am.
The IRB personnel however made it clear that if the higher authority failed to transfer the CO at the earliest they will launch agitations like arms down strike and mass casual leaves at a time.