Job promise turns 'prelude to surrender drama'
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, January 08 2013: Amidst rising suspicion about security forces enacting surrender dramas, a startling allegation has come from Heirok.

Seven youngsters of Heirok Part II were allegedly taken away by Assam Rifles with the promise of offering jobs.

But it turned out that the promise for job was just a strategy to lure the youngsters and force them to take part in a surrender drama in the name of 'KYKL-MDF' .

Meanwhile, local clubs, Meira Paibi organisations and parents of Heirok have strongly condemned the attempt to hand over the seven youngsters to Assam Rifles as UG surrenderees.

One Sagolsem Purnima who stays in a rented room of Thokchom Rameshwari of Heirok Part II took six youngsters to the camp of 42 Assam Rifles located at Chandel on January 4 with the promise of providing them jobs there.

Another youth had been already taken there on December 29 last.

There at the AR camp, one officer took photographs, addresses, names and other details of the seven youngsters.

Then they were forced to sign on a document by another man in civilian fatigue.

The document was embossed with the word 'KYKL-MDF' .

The seven youths narrating their tale before the media

The youngsters who were taken to the AR camp are Moirangthem Oken (30) s/o M Kunjamohon, Elangbam Muhindro (20) s/o E Leirang, Moirangthem Thoiba (20) s/o M Santa, Nongthombam Johny (20) s/o N Kumar, Moirangthem Premkanta (21) s/o M Kunjamohon, Thokchom Nilam (25) s/o Th Rameshwar and Ningthoujam Herojit (21) s/o N Jiten.

Speaking to media persons at Manipur Press Club here today, Moirangthem Thoiba said that six of them went to Pallel on Sagolsem Purnima's word that Assam Rifles was recruiting soldiers.

At Pallel, they were told that the recruitment rally would be held at Chandel, not there.

Then, all six of them and Purnima went to the camp of 42 AR on January 4 .

Inside the AR camp, they came across one Sagolsem Gambhir who was said to be Purnima's husband.

By then, Thokchom Nilam had been there inside the camp since December 29 .

The youngsters were taken inside the AR camp by Gambhir after which their photographs, names, parents' names and addresses were taken by one AR Captain.

Then all seven of them were taken to another place within the same camp where they came across around 50 boys of their age.

There one man in civilian fatigue forced them sign on a form which was embossed with the word 'KYKL-MDF' .

On being enquired as to why they were forced to sign on the particular form, the man said that they should join Assam Rifles in the name of 'KYKL-MDF' .

The man also said that those who want join army may do so and others who do not wish to join army, they would be given Rs 4000 every month.

They would also get around Rs 2.5 lakhs after some months, Thoiba conveyed as promised by the man.

As all these arrangements looked fishy, they called up and enquired their families and acquaintances about all these absurd offers.

"Our elders promptly advised us to leave the camp immediately pointing out that we are being tricked to take part in a surrender drama", Thoiba said.

When they first asked to let them go, they were refused.

"We were not allowed to venture out of the camp without their permission.

We were also threatened repeatedly.

It was only at our repeated insistence that we were allowed to go back home in groups.

Three of us were allowed to leave the camp on January 5, followed by two others and the remaining two on January 7," Thoiba said.

Heirok Eastern Sporting Union secretary Ningthoujam Kameshwar condemned the act of misleading young people.

He also urged the Government to take up befitting action against conspirators of such sinister schemes.

Moirangthem Premkanta's mother Ibetombi also decried the attempt to mislead and ruin the life of young son.

She said that she has been struggling hard to give proper formal education to her son though her family is poor.

The attempt to project the innocent youngsters as UG cadres and surrenderees is a very serious matter and demands immediate attention of the authority, she asserted.

Mandir of the Social Action Development Organisation Heirok said that people need to extra alert in view of the unfolding trend of luring innocent youngsters to take part in surrender dramas by security forces with all kinds of false promises.