IMPHAL, March 13 NNN: Twenty-six women civil society organizations based in Manipur on Wednesday suspended their weeks-long agitation against drug smuggling in the state following the Chief Minister’s assurance given to them that the Government would not let off all the drug traffickers and the law would punish the guilty.
Talking to the reporters at Manipur Press Club here, L Memchoubi, convenor, Working Group of Meira Paibis Movement in Manipur, said the stir by women organizations has been suspended after Chief Minister assured them that the Government would not let the drug traffickers scot-free and that further criminal proceedings would be taken up against them by the court.
She said the apex body of the meira paibi organizations had on March 11 submitted a memorandum raising four demands to the Chief Minister in connection with the recent drug hauls in the state.
In one of the biggest drug seizures in Manipur, six persons, including Defence PRO Col Ajay Chowdhry were detained by Manipur police while carrying pseudoephedrine drugs valued at an estimated Rs 24 crore at Pallel in Manipur’s Chandel district on February 24.
The police in the follow up action later arrested Seikholet Haokip, son of former Speaker of Manipur Legislative Assembly, TN Haokip in connection with the pallel drug seizure.
The drugs were meant to smuggle into neighbouring Mynamar, police reports had said.
The seven accused, including Col Ajay Chowdhry in the Pallel drug haul case were produced before the Special Court of NDPS, Manipur here yesterday and the court had remanded them to 11 days judicial custody.
Three separate FIRs have been filed at the Kakching Police Station regarding the Pallel drug seizure against the seven accused.
As per the investigation report on the case submitted by the Investigation Officer to the court, Col Ajay Chowdhury along with another two persons namely Ngairangbam Brojendro and Lunkhohao Haokip alias Haopu Haokip had also successfully transported huge quantity of illicit drugs from M-Sector, Imphal to Moreh in the first week of December 2012 by using the official Gypsy allotted to Col Chowdhry and a Bolero jeep bearing number AS 01BX-8699.
With this, the Army Col has been found involved in two separate drug smuggling cases.
Roland Keishing, Judge, Special Court of NDPS decided to send them to judicial custody for 11 days and fixed March 22 as the next hearing date of the case.
Read more / Original news source: http://manipur-mail.com/women-civil-society-organizations-suspend-agitation-following-chief-ministers-assurance/
