IMPHAL, February 25: Addressing a press conference at the Manipur Press club, KYKL-MDF President Maisnam Athouba has said that its two top leaders who have been taken into police custody following their arrest on false charges when they went to meet the director of RIMS along with AR personnel on 23 February should be released without any conditions in the next 24 hours.
He further said that cadres of the Kanglei Yawol Kanna-Lup Military Defence (KYKL-MDF) surrendered to the government along with guns and signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) under a surrender policy and that the outfit is waiting for rehabilitation processes to be undertaken by the Government as per its surrender policy.
He added that the cadres have been put up at 42 AR post of Chandel district as there is no designated camp of UG groups right now.
Athouba maintained that the UG group was only trying to meet the Director of RIMS to provide all possible help to the family members of the cadres when they get ill.
At first they went to meet the Director of RIMS on February 19 but they could not meet him and for the second time they went to meet him on February 21 but failed again.
On February 23, they went to meet him for the third time to request him to provide help concerning medical treatment to KYKL-MDF cadres who had signed MoU under the surrender policy, he claimed.
Saying that the outfit objects its general secretary Laimayum Ronel Sharma alias Achouba and Lt Khumukcham Nongpoknganba being taken into police custody on the charge of delivering a demand letter while armed with guns, Athouba demanded that they should be released within 24 hours without any conditions .
He also mentioned that the AR had called on the Director General Of Police (DGP) to release all of them.
He continued that KYKL-MDF cadres should be taken back to the camps along with their surrendered guns. Apart from demanding for `necessary actions against the Director of RIMS and an apology from the DGP, the outfit had demanded that its leaders should be released within the next 24 hrs.
He further added that all the surrendered KYKL-MDF cadres following the signing of MoU are staying together at AR post and no one is allowed to venture out in uniform or with arms.
Adding that cadres moving out of the camp are escorted by AR personnel, Athouba alleged that the charges over the incident are contrary to efforts towards the rehabilitation of surrendered cadres.
Achouba further warned that the outfit would withdraw from the peace process if such things get underway.