The Meitei Leepun has allegedly abducted a man from his residence at Imphal East for not disclosing the source of a WhatsApp message which he had forwarded to another WhatsApp group, and later released after putting him through mental harassment and physical assault.
The victim, Jos Chongtham, was abducted around 10.30 am on Friday and released around 6 pm, after going through an ordeal of around seven and half hours.
In a press conference at Manipur Press Club on Saturday, Jos Chongtham told the media that around 50 armed members of Meitei Leepun abducted him concerning a particular image accompanied with a text message which he had forwarded to a Whatsapp group called ‘Be the change-we support oja Bimol’.
The forwarded message involved a clarification by Babloo Loitongbam, a human rights activist, and it criticised the current N Biren Singh-led government.
“They wanted to discuss a recent call I had with Shilan Heisnam, who is said to be a staunch member of Meitei Leepun. During our conversation the day before, he asked who had forwarded me a particular image and text message which I had forwarded further to the said Whatsapp group. I refused to entertain his demand and did not disclose the name of the person who sent it,” he said.
This led to a heated argument between them on the WhatsApp call, he said.
“I told him that if they provided proof before making accusations about Babloo Loitongbam, the public would have clarity. I think he felt personally attacked by my counterarguments,” he added.
“One of the points I made during the call was about the justice system during the reign of Meitei kings of the past, where even minor offenses were judged fairly by the king, ministers, and officers, unlike today, where many self-appointed ‘authorities’ act on their whims. He seemed to feel attacked by that,” Jos added.
He said that those armed men dragged him out in front of his neighbors and his family, who helplessly tried to protect him. He was forced into a car and he was blindfolded.
They took him to an unknown place. When he asked, “If I would ever see my home again”, one of two men guarding him said,” We might end your life here. We haven’t heard from our top leader, so we do not know if you will ever see your home.”
Jos said that he was forced to unlock his phone with threats of shooting him.
When they reached the place, they removed his blindfold and began prepping his statement they wanted him to make, Jos told the media. “Two men with long guns stood on either side of me, and the person with the camera told them to keep the guns out of the frame,” he said.
Jos recalled that he was made to say certain lines like, “I, Jos Chongtham from Huikap, was given this information to spread on social media by Bimol Akoijam, Thounaojam Brinda, RK Nimai, Yambem Laba, and Malem Ningthouja. The information was about a government-damaging message shared in a WhatsApp group called Be the Change - We Support Oja Bimol. I now understand the efforts made by the N Biren Singh government to tackle poppy cultivation and the ‘War on Drugs.’ I will not share such information in the future.” They pressured me to make the statement sound genuine, he added.
Then they bound his hands, blindfolded again and lashed him on his buttocks, thighs and calves with canes, he said.
“Each strike was more vicious than the last, and filled with hate. I collapsed to my knees on the gravel, and they pulled me up only to beat me again. I think I was hit 15 to 20 times,” he added.
“One of them mockingly said that, for the work I had done for the Meiteis, I was basically a Meitei Leepun member. They claimed they spared me further beating because I had done something for the motherland. Their words, their mockery, and the way they stripped away my rights, leaving me powerless-even to remove my blindfold-was so dehumanising and humiliating,” he said.
“They pressed a gun to my head and demanded I reveal my connections to Brinda, Oja Lancha, Biren, and Oja Bimol. When I could not provide the information they wanted, they threatened me with more violence. All this over a single WhatsApp message that I had forwarded to a group with fewer than 900 members. I had not added anything to the message; I forwarded it verbatim,” he said.
“Since they had access to my unlocked phone, they started interrogating me about every call and text. When I couldn’t recall details, they hit me with the cane again,” he said.
They lectured him, they accused Babloo Loitongbam of embezzling 7 crore and Brinda of attempting to take 3 crore bribe from Lukhosei Zou. They claimed Bimol, Brinda and Babloo would soon be in prison for their crime, Jos said. Then they praised Chief Minister N Biren Singh for his efforts in combating poppy cultivation and blamed the May 3 conflict in Manipur on his anti-drug initiatives. They boasted about their intelligence from all fronts, claiming they knew everything, he said.
“They grilled me about my WhatsApp messages, asking why I sent certain texts, who certain people were, and why I was talking to figures like Karan Thapar or Rami Desai. When I could not recall the particular details, they threatened to shoot me,” he said.
His father, whom they had contacted earlier, arrived around 6 pm. They recorded the handover and took his phone, he added.
In the press meet, a mother appealed to the Meitei Leepun and other groups whether they are under SoO or not, to not attack people within the Meitei community. She appealed not to violate the freedom granted under the Indian constitution.
Asking who gave arms to the Meitei Leepun, she said, “Mothers will support the group which are working for the motherland, not those who are attacking individuals within the Meitei community.” She assured that anyone working for the motherland will be given support from the mothers of Manipur.
She lamented that the attacks are being carried out against the Meitei community itself, questioning if the state government has given permission to carry arms to Meitei Leepun.
“We believe that the Meitei Leepun is working for the motherland but attacking a man, who had been working for the motherland, for speaking out against the government will cause fear and mistrust against Meitei Leepun,” she said.
