Newmai News Network Imphal | December 8 United Naga Council (UNC) President Gaidon Kamei and Information and Publicity Secretary SK Stephen were remanded to 15-day judicial custody by a court here on Thursday. Earlier, the Naga leaders had been in police custody since they were arrested on charges of spearheading the ongoing Manipur indefinite economic blockade on November 25. The court of Chief Judicial Magistrate, Imphal East Aribam Noutuneshwari Devi, where they were produced, rejected their bail plea. The counsel appearing for the accused sought bail for the two Naga leaders on health ground during a brief argument which was rejected. Judge Noutuneshwari then sent the accused to judicial custody till December 22. Mao police have registered a suo motu case against Kamei and Stephen in connection with an arson attack wherein a chicken feed-loaded truck was set ablaze by blockade supporters near ST Joseph School, Mao under Senapati district near Nagaland border on November 21. UNC launched the economic blockade from November 1 to protest the Manipur government’s move to create new districts of Sadar Hills of Senapati district and Jiribam of Imphal East. The arrest of Kamei and Stephen resulted in a public outcry, particularly from the Naga community. However, an adamant Manipur Chief Minister Okram Ibobi Singh had announced legal action against the two Naga leaders. At the same time, the protracted blockade has drawn condemnations from all quarters. The stir has already paralysed goods supply to the land-locked state where prices of essential commodities have skyrocketed. When the waiting media persons asked the UNC leader on the status of the economic blockade, UNC president Kamei replied that the blockade was a collective decision of the Nagas. "Decision can be taken only after consulting my people," Kamei remarked. The UNC President also expressed unhappiness on "communal tone” taken on the economic blockade. Kamei said that UNC was demanding clarification from the state government over the district creation issue. “We’re not against any communities,” he maintained.
