Remand for hate video kingpin
Source: The Sangai Express
Imphal, June 18 2018:
The main culprit allegedly behind the making and circulation of a video clip containing inflammatory speech against Manipuris on social media, has been remanded to judicial custody till July 2 by Chief Judicial Magistrate Imphal West.
The accused Rupesh alias Babua Thakur (26) s/o Sanjay Thakur of Parora village, Shahebpur Kamal police station, Begusarai district, Bihar, was produced before the Court of Chief Judicial Magistrate Imphal West by a team of Imphal PS along with a prayer for further remand of the accused in judicial custody.
The IO of the case, through the APP, submitted that on May 25, at around 1.30 pm, Imphal PS informed Cyber Crime Imphal West to carry out an inquiry in connection with a video clip doing the rounds in social media like WhatsApp and Facebook, threatening Manipuris (specially those residing outside the State) and which had the potential to spread hatred and fear among different classes of the society.
The investigation of the case was carried out by Imphal West Cyber Crime and during the initial stage of the investigation, 7 individuals were arrested for spreading/circulating the video clip on social media and it was also learned that the viral video was sent from Bihar by the main culprit Rupesh/ Babua Thakur to" Manipur.
It was also found that the main culprit had earlier resided at Churachandpur and used to run a shop there.
The investigating team visited Churachandpur and enquired the whereabouts of the main culprit with the assist of Churachandpur police and it was confirmed that the culprit had left Manipur and was now residing at Bihar.
Accordingly, a non bailable warrant of arrest was executed by a team of Imphal PS and a police team went to Bihar to arrest the culprit (who also appeared in the viral video in a mask) with the assistance of SHO Sahebpur Kamal PS Begusarai, from his residence.
He was produced before the Court of Chief Judicial Magistrate Begusarai on June 10 and then put in transit remand till June 14 .
During preliminary interrogation, Rupesh admitted that he had committed the offence he was charged with and further disclosed that he is from Bihar but his family have been settled in Churachandpur for the past 40 years.
On May 5, he along with his whole family went to his native place to attend a wedding ceremony for his cousin brother and after the wedding ceremony, he saw a video on Facebook about the confrontation between the indigenous people of Manipur and a group of people from Bihar in connection with a land dispute at Telipati andhe was angered by the video.
Subsequently, he along with his friends, including three underaged youths and Nitish Kumar Thakur of Mughal Sarai and two others, made the video by putting on masks and threatening the indigenous people of Manipur.
In the video the individuals warned the Manipuris not to harm the people from Bihar living in Manipur and then he sent the video through a WhatsApp group of Bihar to one of his friends, Kishan Malik (who is living in Manipur) and later the video went viral, the 10 said.
The IO further submitted that prima facie evidence has been well established against the main culprit that he intentionally created the video at his hometown along with five accomplices and then sent the video to his friend Kishan Malik after which it went viral in Manipur.
The 10 stated that his criminal act amounts to criminal intention, promoting enmity between groups along religion line, race, place of birth, residence, which is prejudicial to maintenance of harmony and prayed for judicial custody remand of the masked man/ main culprit of the case Court satisfied with the prayer of the IO remanded the main culprit to judicial custody till July 2 .
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