Churachandpur nude tape rage: Accused IRB men placed under suspension
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal/Lamka, July 01 2013: The four IRB jawans, who were arrested by Chura-chandpur police in connection with forcibly video recording two lovers in the nude and whose clip went viral on the net, have been placed under suspension.

Including two havildars, the four jawans belonging to 1 IRB were also produced before the Chief Judicial Magistrate (Churachandpur) today and the Court remanded them to police custody for six days.

The incident occurred a some days back at Khuga dam area in the tribal-dominated district and it came to light when the video footage allegedly filmed by one of the four personnel went viral on the net.

The four, who were guarding Khuga Dam in the district, allegedly caught the two in a compromising position and one of the jawans filmed the two in the nude.

Besides placing the four under suspension, a departmental inquiry has been ordered against them, police sources said.

Police firing tear gas shells to disperse the mob on Sunday night at CCpur

Superintendent of police of the district LM Haokip said that the matter would be probed with all the seriousness it deserves and the situation in Churachandpur town was brought under control on Monday in the wake of Saturday's public outrage.

Having witnessed the video clip, women organizations quizzed the two victims, who revealed the involvement of an IRB personnel in filming the clip.

The police, who received a complaint on the matter, recorded the statement of the two on Friday.

On Sunday evening, the four jawans including two havildars were pulled up from Khuga post and a case was registered against them under sections 354, 431 IPC and 67 ( A) of the IT Act.

Meanwhile over twenty people were injured in police firing late last night as a mob demanding the police to hand over the culprits behind the nude-tape� and those angered by the police blank-fire that injured two� made a daring attempt to storm the police station here.

Subsequent to the first police blank-fire at around 6.20 pm, the crowd that gathered near the police station turned into a violent mob, setting on fire the office of the district traffic police and the signboard erected at the gates beside vandalizing anything they could get hold of.

The extreme conduct of the mob forced the police to summon a Commando team from Imphal that reached Lamka at around 11 pm.

The commando team headed by two top police officials unleashed their might on the rioting mob from the moment they arrived and continued to pursue the chase till midnight as their intermittent gunshots and firing of tear gas shells gave the township residents a restless night.

In all twenty four people were injured as the police struggled to control the mob till midnight, sources said.

Six out of the 24 were admitted to the hospital.

Luanminsiam (20) s/o Lunkhopau of Zenhang Lamka was shifted to Imphal around midnight yesterday as his condition is said to be critical.

The other five were treated at the District Hospital here and at least three of them are awaiting surgery, said the source.

Those admitted in the hospital are identified as Obed (25), Lulun (18), Muangboi (26), Thara (25) and Robert (21).All except Lulun were residents of Zenhang Lamka while Lulun belongs to New Lamka.

Addressing the press at his official chamber immediately after holding a joint meeting of the CJWO, student bodies, the SP, the DC in-charge and other stake holders, ADCC Chairman, Langkhanpau Guite requested the people to refrain from taking any extreme steps on their own.

He said the meeting had condemned the conduct of the couple who were film naked by the arrested IRB personnel and in equal terms condemn the IRB men for filming them in an outrageous manner.

He also said that the district administration will work to ensure that rehabilitation plans for the couple would be in place and made provisions to reimburse the expenditure of those injured.

Besides, the state police, BSF and AR will be conducting intensive patrolling in and around the township so that events like last night would not be repeated, he said.

'It is also our collective desire that those who are behind the tape should be taken to task in the swiftest manner,' he added.

A reliable source said the arrested IRB men have now been placed under suspension and depending upon the progress of the investigation further actions would be initiated against them.

As the uniforms of traffic police were damaged by the fire during last night's incident, none of them were seen along the streets today.

Understandably, the one-way traffic that was put in placed prior to the Christmas season last year went kaput for the first time.

The CJWO and the social activist who filed the FIR on the nude-tape today said their intention to ensure justice and not riot.

They have requested the general public to maintain calm and to desist themselves from adopting any extreme steps.

'Now that the police have apprehended the culprit behind the tape, the law will take its own course,' they said.

They have also expressed regrets over last night's violence and shared the pain suffered by those were injured.