Popilal innocent, arrest bid unwarranted: Phayeng locals
Source: Chronicle News Service

Imphal, February 10 2023: Meira Paibi members of Phayeng village on Friday staged a protest at Yoga Hall, Hei-Yu Park, denouncing any attempt to arrest the newly appointed Manipur Pradesh Youth Congress Committee president Ningthoujam Popilal without evidence.

Speaking on the sidelines of the protest, Phayeng Apunba Lup president Angom Tomalei Devi recounted that Popilal was escorted home when he was almost attacked after he finished participation in a discussion programme on a private news channel network.

'We do not want accusations being hurled against an innocent person or preventing someone from exercising their right to speak the truth,' she said, and urged the government to thoroughly investigate the matter while keeping aside all forms of favouritism.

Meanwhile, Popilal's sister Migrett Ningthoujam recounted that on February 8, her elder brother had participated in the 'Manung Hutna' discussion programme of Impact TV.

After the programme ended, he was threatened with physical harm and as such, was escorted home by police.

The next day, he (Popilal) and his party went to file a report but the police did not register any FIR.

Later, a police team came to their residence at around 10.30 pm.

When she enquired the purpose of their visit, the police contended that her brother had beaten up some people.

She further enquired of the timing of the said incident, which, as per the police, occurred at around 9 pm.

However, her brother was giving tuition classes at the said time.

The police refused to leave and barged into the house and mentally harassed the family, including their sick grandmother.

Migrett continued that even after informing the police that her brother was not home, they refused to listen and continued to stay at the residence for a long time.

The team also took video of the backyard of the house and also mentally harassed the inmates of a boarding, set up in their residence.

As the team did not bring any women personnel, the family requested the police not to enter the rooms of the female occupants of the house and take video, but were instead met with verbal insults.

At present, the condition of her sick grandmother has taken a turn for the worse after the mental harassment.

Thus, Migrett appealed to the government and the chief minister to investigate the matter and prevent any further harassment to the family.

On the other hand, former minister N Biren of Sekmai AC said that the government's 'War on Drugs' is an important step and hence, there is no argument for discouragement on this point.

It can be believed that the police are doing their duty in drugs-related case including arrest of those personnel involved in such cases like the Pallel drug case.

As such, when Popilal was threatened with physical violence over a discussion on the issue, he submitted a representation as a worker of Congress party.

However, instead of taking any action based on his (Popilal) report, the police came to arrest him and also caused mental stress to his sick grandmother.

It would be unfortunate if something were to happen to Popilal's grandmother because of this incident, Biren said, while iterating that Popilal is a law-abiding Congress worker, who had been appointed as Youth Congress president on Thursday.

The former minister further urged for focussing our whole attention towards ending the drug menace in the state.

Comment