Millitant leader announces retirement; considers contesting upcoming election

IMPHAL, Mar 25: The chairman of a faction of the People United Liberation Front (PULF), MI Khan, today announced his retirement from the chairmanship of the oufit.
At the same time, the militant leader also announced that he is competing in the upcoming general election in the Keirao Assembly constituency.
MI Khan was released from central Sajiwa Jail today afternoon following the revocation of NSA imposed against him. He was then taken to Imphal East district Police, Porompat and from there headed towards his Keirao Makha Leikai residence late in the evening.
A large people, over thousands, turned up at his residence and welcome MI Khan warmly by setting off firecrackers.Various community leaders, Zilla Parisad members, Pradhan and social leaders took part in the informal reception of the militant leader.
Interacting with media persons at his residence, MI Khan disclosed that he decided to retire from the outfit following some personnel problems of his own adding the decision to enter into politics was owing to strong pressure from public especially the Keirao Assembly constituency.
“I apologize to the people for the mistake committed by my party and its cadres, I appeal the people to extend their co-operation and accept this step of becoming a social leader”, said MI Khan.
He further maintained that he will leave no stone unturned to bring development in the Keirao assembly constituency especially filling up the division among various communities created by some vested interest leaders.    While recalling his story as an activist of the outfit, MI Khan revealed that he joined the outfit on October 1, 2004. He took the charge of the general secretary of the outfit from March 10, 2007 till March 31, 2009.
He was first arrested in April 29, 2008 from Mysore by a team of the Imphal East district police led by its SP, Th. Radheshyam, while attending an annual budget meeting of the outfit.
After arriving at Imphal he was detained under police custody for about one month and 24 different cases were lodge against him. On May 30 the same year he was detained under NSA and sent to judicial custody and again on December, 19, 2008 he was transfered to Tihar Jail.
Subsequently the Guwahati High Court Imphal bench revoked the NSA on February 3, 2009 which led him back to Imphal on February 25, 2009 however he was rearrested from the Sajiwa Jail gate by Imphal East Police and lodge 5 more case against him. He was taken under Police custody, he said. Later bail was granted by the Judicial Magistrate Thoubal Court on March 13, 2009.
MI Khan further revealed that he was taken by surprise, when some senior police officers announced him as an escaped convict while he was returning home after being granted bail.
Left with no choice he took refuge at the residence of a friend for two days and reorganized the outfit and took over the charge of chairman of the outfit from April 1, 2009 till May 11, 2010. Further his plea of discharging himself from being the chairman of the outfit was granted by the C.C of the outfit on May 15, 2010 however as per norm of the organization he took charge as care taker until a new chairman was elected. Amidst this a combined team of the Imphal East district police and Belgaum district security force arrested him on May 23, 2010 at about 4:30 pm from Belgaum, Karnataka and sent him to jail on June 8, yet the NSA was again revoked by the Guwahati High court Imphal Bench on February 18, 2011, he added.