JAC-Govt talk fails, high drama follows
Police swoop down on JAC office soon after talks with CM, many picked up
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, May 17 2010: The much hyped and awaited talk between the JAC of AMTUC and AMGEO and the Chief Minister over the cease work strike, ended in a deadlock, followed by high drama as police swooped down on the office of the JAC located at Babupara and arrested 69 members of the JAC including 35 prominent members today.

Significantly, this was the first time that the JAC had a talk with the Chief Minister in person, after launching the cease work strike.

Amongst the 69 employees rounded up by the police today, six are women.

They were however released soon after, said police.

Though 63 members of the JAC are still in the custody of the police, no case have been registered against them, said police.

They are simply being detained, explained a police source.

Members of the JAC being herded onto a vehicle by police

Prior to the police crack down, a 35 member team of the JAC met the Chief Minister to discuss their demand to implement the 6th Pay recommendations in toto today evening.

Apart from the Chief Minister, senior Cabinet Ministers Th Debendra, Phungzathang Tonsing and Government officials including the Chief Secretary and Principal Secretary were present at the meeting.

Although all aspects of the demand raised by the JAC as well as the financial situation of the Govt were discussed at length, the talk broke down with no resolution in sight.

Even as the JAC members assembled at their office at Babupara to discuss the issue and draw up a series of resolutions, police swooped down on the office and picked up 69 of them.

The police team was led by the OC of Imphal police.

The police team barged into the room where the JAC members were holding a meeting while some others closed the gate not to let anyone escape.

After a while all male members of the JAC were herded out by the police and they were taken away to the police station in two vehicles.

After this another vehicle, with the name Prison, embossed on it arrived and tried to take away the 6 women members of the JAC.

Even as the police tried to herd the women into the vehicle, confusion broke out as some male JAC members are believed to have escaped by jumping through the window.

The police on duty at the gate gave chase, adding to the tamasha.

A little later, three/four male members of the JAC who had been hiding in some corners of the office, were rounded up by the police.

Their clothings were covered with cob webs and dust.

A JAC member, who stole some moments, before embarking on the police vehicle said that they on their side had put it across clearly to the Chief Minister to implement the 6th Pay recommendations in toto as well as to revise the newly formulated pay scale structure.

The Chief Minister on his part said that the demands of the JAC would be reviewed and modified if necessary, said the JAC member.

Thereafter the JAC representatives at the meeting left the Chief Minister's residence stating that they would have to discuss the issue amongst themselves.

It was during the course of the meeting that the police swooped down on their office and picked them up, said the JAC member.