DGP rejects Tehelka's story
Source: Hueiyen News Service
Imphal, June 14 2011:
State DGP Y Joykumar today categorically rejected the Tehelka report which alleged that the surrendered PULF (Umar Farooque) activists do not belong to the faction but are daily-wage labourers, mechanics in tyre shops, rickshaw-pullers and over-ground collaborators.
The Delhi based journal in its report "Assam Rifles to parade poor youth in fake surrender drama" alleged that the arms the surrendered UGs brought came from Kuki militants.
Speaking to reporters at the auditorium of the IGAR(S) after the "Home Coming" ceremony, the DGP alleged that the report of Tehelka journal which was also reproduced by the Hueiyen Lanpao (English Edition) in its June 14 edition was baseless.
This has given a wrong impression to the people and hurt their sentiments.
He said in Manipur there is a trend of protesting against the police and security forces when they arrested person(s), culprits in certain cases, claiming the arrested person(s) as innocent.
But when investigated into the case records, the arrested person(s) appeared to be involved in one or the other case.
Most arrested persons were involved in cases of mobilizing widows to join UG groups using them to transport bombs and arms.
Sometimes, the arrested were drug addicts used by UGs in their anti-social activities, he asserted.
Drug addicts and widows are the soft targets of the UGs, the DGP alleged and expressed that writing such reports without knowing the ground reality and without cross checking is not correct.
The magazine had mentioned one Angom Ibochouba Singh.
He is a member of the KCP (MC) Malemganba group.
He had earlier being arrested by Bishnupur district police commandos on the charge of attempt to kidnap a government officer.
Based on the misinformation given by him, Tehelka has given a wrong impression to the surrender ceremony, Joykumar said.
Joykumar also appealed to the people to inform to the nearest police station or police control room if a person or persons has/have been picked by the security force.
State government is has always encouraged the surrender of UGs considering the need for peace and development in the state.
The DGP praised the Assam Rifles, who he said took a major initiative in the conduct of elections to the Autonomous Hills District Councils which was successfully conducted after a gap of over 20 years.
He blamed the media for not properly highlighting the achievements of the Assam Rifles or the police.
He referred to the recent protest against the arrest of a NSCN-IM 'Major' in Senapati district HQ by people of the area, saying that the media highlighted it but it has never attempted to cover the excesses meted out by the UG on the people in the hill areas of the state.