IMPHAL, May 8: Locals of Patsoi Pt IV Awang Leikai, meira paibis and club members today staged a sit in protest in their locality, this noon demanding the safe release of a former militant who had been pulled up by a suspected team of 10 Assam Rifle Kangchup Post during the wee hours today around 2.
The sit in was held at the local Nisaband Sanglen.
A former PLA cadre, Tourem Sanathoi alias Sanayaima, 36 son of (L) T Kula of Patsoi Part IV Awang Leikai was forcefully taken away from his home by around five unidentified persons, decried Sanathoi’s wife Geeta.
Two of the five assailants were in combat dresses while the three others were in civvies, she said. Later it was found that the five belong to the 10 Assam Rifles, Kangchup Post, she alleged.
Elaborating further, she said Sanathoi was arrested in the year 2003 and had already spent his jail term. Soon after coming out of jail, he had surrendered himself before the 18 Sikh at Patsoi Bazar on September 26, 2012, she asserted.
Ever since then he had been leading a normal life with his family, until the unidentified persons showed up and forced him away today, Geeta decried.
When she had tried to intervene, the five did not reply anything and did not even reveal their identity, she said.
Even when asked for an arrest memo, the five continued to ignore her and further threw away the surrender identity card issued by the 18 Sikh, when she tried to show it to the five, she continued.
After the five took her husband away, she woke up her neighbours and informed them about the incident, she said.
The locals than came out and conducted a search during which it was found out that the five belong to the 10 Assam Rifles and that her husband had been handed over to Lamshang police, she said. She further appealed to all the authorities concerned to release her husband unharmed without any condition.
