Newmai News Network
Imphal | February 16
Human Rights Alert (HRA) alleged on Saturday that an eight-member joint team of the Delhi police and Manipur police picked up a student leader from Manipur from his rented accommodation in Saket in Delhi on February 15 evening without citing any reasons.
According to HRA, Thokchom Veewon, formerly the president of the Manipur Students’ Union of Delhi (MSAD) and now an advisor for the group, has been at the forefront of protests organised in Delhi against the Manipur state government’s decision to arrest journalist Kishorechandra Wangkhem under the National Security Act (NSA) in November 2018 and the Central government’s attempt to turn the controversial Citizenship (Amendment) Bill into an Act.
The HRA, in a press release issued by its Executive Director Babloo Loitongbam then said that, an hour later, Veewon was traced by family and friends at the special branch office of the Delhi police at Janakpuri. Family members and fellow students waited outside the special branch till the next morning but they were not allowed to meet him.
“Two days ago, in a Facebook post, Veewon said that a police team comprising personnel from both Imphal West and East districts arrived at his house in Lamlaimayai Leikai of Imphal around 6 pm, ‘threatened’ his parents, ‘searched’ his room, “took pictures” of his parents and told them to ask him to concentrate only on his education,” the HRA alleged, adding, “the arrest was sudden, arbitrary, violent and irregular”.
According to the HRA, the entire episode is mockery of the rule of law and the legal anomalies is that, the ccused or his families were never informed of eight the complaint against him or the FIR or the ground of arrest, they do not have this information and this document even now.
“Personnel came in civilian clothes and did not even disclose their identities to Veewon and family eve at the time of arrest,” the HRA also said. It alleged that Veewon was assaulted at the time of arrest, and was neither given any time to inform the family about the arrest nor anytime to collect his personnel belong such as warm cloths and slippers.
The HRA then alleged that Police secretly produced him before a Magistrate at Saket all the while the family was expecting him to be produced at Patiala House Court Delhi Police Special Cell Magistrate.
“This was done to prevent the family from informing the magistrate of police access and opposing the transit remand order,” said the HRA.
“The HRA is deeply concerned that we are witnessing is a disturbing trend of the police authorities to arrest lawfully dissenting citizen in the most unlawful, violent and arbitrary manner,” it expressed.
