AR refutes allegation of assaulting women
Source: Chronicle News Service
Imphal, June 21 2023:
Referring to the news article published in this daily on Wednesday, Assam Rifles has denied the allegation that 29 women were injured in crackdown by its personnel using rifle butts and other objects.
In a release, PRO IGAR (S) also contended that the four volunteers of 'Meitei village guards' apprehended by an AR unit with arms confessed to be cadres of a banned organisation.
According to the PRO, one of the four individuals was apprehended namely Ngangom Shanta alias Michael Meitei on September 8, 2022 by the AR (FIR No 230(9)2022PRT PS U/S 20 UA(P) Act dt 08 Sep 2022) .
The protesters had subsequently gathered in front of Lilong police station and approximately 250 persons stormed in with marshals with intent to torch the PS and free the arrestees, the PRO stated.
Pointing out that, the police asked for assistance from the nearest COB to save the police station, the PRO stated that in the course of events the police fired tear gas and smoke grenade to disperse the crowd and push them out of police station and in that process some people might have got injured, a fact correctly mentioned in one of the major newspapers.
Thus, terming the entire event as AR crackdown when the force was trying to protect the state forces is factually incorrect, the PRO maintained.
At no point of time, excessive force was used by AR and only protective action was taken to prevent any damage to public property and state forces which some inimical elements were trying to burn, added the PRCA.