The All Manipur Students Union (AMSU) on Tuesday reiterated its demand to Governor Najma Heptulla to constitute a high-level enquiry committee headed by a person of no less than a retired high court judge in the case of awards to police personnel in the state.
The AMSU submitted a memorandum to the governor, demanding further enquiry into the police personnel listed in the Chief Minister’s Trophy for Anti-drugs Campaign and Chief Minister’s Trophy for Community Service.
Responding to the memorandum, superintendent of police, Narcotics Affairs and Border, W Basu clarified that as per available records, there are no adverse criminal records against the recipients of the Chief Minister’s Trophy for Anti-Drugs Campaign.
However, a release by publicity and information secretary, Lhunpao Lupheng on Wednesday stated the clarification of W Basu Singh, categorically mentioning “AMSU has maliciously brought up this matter when the senior Police Officer is still battling for his life in a hospital in Delhi and this smacks of insensitivity and depression on the part of the student body and is highly uncalled for” is very unfortunate and irresponsible.
The union also requested the police department to submit their information through proper channels if any to the governor in connection with the contents of the representation submitted by AMSU to the governor.
The union has reliable information about some of the awardees having tainted past with criminal antecedents but the union would refrain from disclosing the same to the public, said the release.
The question of EEVFAM v/s Union of India being subjudice as stated by Basu in his clarification is totally irrelevant, the release stated. The issue being raised is about ensuring accountability of the selection process and to disclose the dossier/citation in the public domain, so that the public can also appreciate their heroic activities, it added.
The union quoted certain parts of an article written by inspector general of police –Zone-III, Manipur Lunsieh Kipgen published in local dailies under the title “Why Manipur Senior IPS officer shot himself” stated that “A committee under the chairmanship of Arvind Kumar, constituted to determine and recommend officers of the department to be awarded two trophies in recognition of police related good works, had a sitting in the office of the chairman on July 17 ……The committee met for the business and accordingly finished what was to be done that day itself”.
“The following day on July 18, we, the committee members, were asked to attend a review sitting (meeting) to rectify an oversight in the exercise. ... Since it was just a review and rectification exercise only the committee sitting did not take much time to complete the work. … As soon as we settled down in my office chamber and started discussing things, a phone call for the Dy IG came and disrupted him. He declined the call. But the phone call rang repeatedly.”
“Excuse me sir, let me take the call”. “No problem, just go ahead”. As soon as the Dy IG said hello, his voice decibel went higher and soon turned to be a shouting – “What, what??!!....., Ok I am coming”. “Sir Arvind Kumar shot himself and is being taken to hospital”, he relayed the shocking news to me even without cutting the line of his phone and stood to rush. “Ok, just rush ahead and inform me which hospital, I’ll be rushing as well”.
AMSU has been asking if the senior officer who chaired the Committee is a victim of the present dispensation or not, it stated. Therefore, there is a need for thorough investigation if there is any connection between the doubtful processes in question with the drastic action of the senior officer who chaired the committee to recommend for trophies to be awarded on the Independence Day, the release added.
