Dimapur/Kohima, July 17 (MExN): As ACAUT Nagaland blows the lid off the fuel adulteration racket in Nagaland State, the case seems to be taking an odd turn with the Nagaland Police and even the Additional Advocate General Nagaland seemingly jumping to the rescue of the State Government.
In an unusual statement from the ‘Office of the Advocate General Nagaland, Gauhati High Court’ that was sent to the media through the email account of the Dimapur District Legal Services Authority on July 17, K Sema, Senior Advocate and Additional Advocate General Nagaland, stated that “no citizen has an absolute and unfettered right to freedom of speech and expression to scandalize and degrade the judiciary bringing it to disrespect and impeding public confidence in the administration of justice and creating disbelief in the efficacy of judicial administration by the courts.”
This was stated in the light of ACAUT Nagaland ‘rejecting’ the SIT instated by the Nagaland State Government on the issue of fuel adulteration. As per the statement, such a move was “uncalled for” and the ACAUT’s alleged “imputation” that the State judiciary is “under the spell of politician and corruptive influences” was “degrading and scandalizing” the “entire judiciary.”
While also stating that “honest criticism of judiciary in the State is welcome,” the statement urged “organizations such as ACAUT” to “conduct themselves diligently within the permissible bounds of law and to detest from circulating news items which are not only contumacious but demeaning to the state judiciary as a whole.”
Police clarifies
On the night of July 16, meanwhile, the Office of the Director General of Police, Government of Nagaland, released a statement to “inform and enlighten” the people of Nagaland on investigation regarding fuel adulteration in the State. A press note from Myingthungo Tungoe IPS, SP (Crime) and PRO at Police Head Quarters, Nagaland, stated that “to avoid possible jurisdictional limitations and to ensure a thorough broad based investigation throughout Nagaland, this investigation has been upgraded to the level of the Special Investigation Team (SIT) headed by the Inspector General of Police (Range), who has jurisdictions over the entire state of Nagaland.”
It informed that the Chief Minister of Nagaland has held “wide consultation with the Cabinet and reviewed the matter and has directed the investigative agency to take all necessary action in the matter.”
It also clarified that the two Investigating Officers who were investigating the case so far have been retained and form the core components of the SIT. With the exception of the supervisory officer, all the other members of the SIT at present are drawn exclusively from Dimapur Police comprising of one Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP), one Addl. DCP and, three Asst. Commissioner of Police.
The PRO PHQ, Nagaland, therefore appealed to the ‘General Public’ not to be “misled” or “swayed” by the “misconceived” and “baseless” claims by “any individual or organization/NGOs on this issue, in the interest of Public peace, law & order and, social harmony of the State.”
ACAUT cries foul
Reacting to the PHQ statement, the ACAUT Nagaland meanwhile maintained that the PHQ has “broken every protocol and propriety by donning the role of government spokesperson.”
“As regards protocol, it is the government’s spokesperson that should be defending the CM or conveying the Cabinet’s decision instead of a PRO of Nagaland Police,” stated the ACAUT Nagaland today in a press release from its media cell.
If their “apprehension is baseless,” then ACAUT Nagaland challenged the PHQ to “make public all cases where SITs instituted by the PHQ have settled cases and individuals imprisoned.” If not, the press release from the PRO of PHQ Nagaland “stands ridiculed,” it maintained.
Further, it stated, “If the PHQ can guarantee that the SIT would be free from bias and political interference, the ACAUT can give it the benefit of doubt. But as thing stands, the PHQ has already revealed its biasness by defending the government even before the SIT has started its probe and therefore, the ACAUT cannot believe that the SIT would be free from undue influence.”
Naga Hoho lauds ‘discovery of fuel rackets’
Kohima, July 17 (MExN): The Naga Hoho has shown support to ACAUT’s busting of the fuel adulteration racket in the State. Lauding the “discovery of fuel rackets” in Dimapur that led to the arrest of a “few kingpins,” the Naga Hoho expressed worry that fuel adulteration has become a “regular phenomenon” in the State. It stressed that the culprits should not be released on bail under any circumstance.
“Even lawmakers and any Advocates should not try to bail out for the sake of earning considering the plight of the people,” stated the Hoho in a press statement from its President, P Chuba Ozukum and Secretary of Information & Publicity, C Daipao.
The Naga Hoho believed that the fuel adulteration racket in Dimapur is “just an iceberg” and it has “become imperative” to keep a check on it “thoroughly” in all the districts of Nagaland.
“We also wonder as to why the competent authorities and District Administration should always wait for the public to find out the adulteration?” wondered Naga Hoho, though appreciating the setting up of the SIT by the State Government in order to investigate the matter. It appealed to the SIT to “deliver acceptable testimony to the people without delay.”
Food adulteration
The Naga Hoho also raised concern on the issue of food adulterations in the shops and market and “selling of food items beyond expiry date.” It claimed that over the years, “many people must have died in the state owing to various food related illnesses though many cases have been kept in the dark.”
Quoting the Food Safety and Standards Acts 2006, it informed that a “Every food business operator must compulsorily ensure that the articles of food satisfy the requirements of this act at all the stages of production, processing, import, distribution and sale within businesses under his control as per section 26 (1) of FSS Act 2006.” Moreover, it called for ‘petty food manufacturers’ to “follow the basic hygiene and safety requirement, provided in part 1 of schedule 4 of the regulations and get themselves registered.”
The Naga Hoho appealed to the State Government and authority concerned to “perform their duties not only for the sake of salaries and facilities but to monitor timely as per the established Acts of all Food Business Operators like Food retailers, hoteliers, restaurant owners, wholesalers, exporters, importers, warehouse owners, distributors, packaging and blending operators, manufacturers, processors and whosoever is associated with any Food Business for the well being of common people.”
