Source: The Sangai Express
Imphal, February 12:
Employees of Food Corporation of India (FCI) in the north east are all prepared to cease transportation of food grains in the entire region with effect from February 14 if the State Government do not release the eight arrested employees of FCI, Imphal immediately.
The FCI staffs were arrested on charges of deducting rice for militants from the rice quota allotted under the Mid Day Meal scheme.
"We have coordinated with all our colleagues in the entire region for intensifying the ongoing stir against the arrest and subsequent detention of FCI officials under the National Security Act (NSA) by the State Govt" Bedanta Sharma zonal secretary of Bharatiya Khadya Karmachari Sangh (BKKS) told mediapersons.
"After arriving here I have found that all the eight staffs have been wrongly implicated in the case", Bedanta said adding "If the State Govt continue to victimize our colleagues here, who are working overtime for the welfare of the State, then we would be compelled to discuss for closing down the Imphal office".
Meanwhile, FCI zonal manager (NE) AS Chhabra who rushed here to take stock of the situation and insist upon the State Govt to release the eight FCI staffs, left Imphal today.
Chhabra and senior Regional Manager (Manipur and Nagaland) Seema Kakkar had on February 11 evening met the Chief Minister O Ibobi and exerted pressure to release the eight staffs.
Mention may be made here that Manipur police had seized 701 quintal of rice alleged to have been deducted for the militants from the FCI godown at Sangaiprou here.
Though the Chief Judicial Magistrate (CJM) Imphal, who on Monday remanded the eight to police custody till 1 pm of February 11, the police failed to produce them before the court on the fixed day.
Hence the court ordered the police to produce them on February 14 at 11 am positively.
The newly floated Joint Action Committee of FCI Imphal Staff Welfare Association had been launching cease work strike since February 7 demanding unconditional release of their colleagues.
Meanwhile, some JAC members disclosed that though the State Govt had reportedly passed a detention order under NSA against the eight only four officials were served the same order on Friday morning.