Friend Coutinho manhandled by anti AFSPA campaigners
IMPHAL, December 22: A British citizen from Zanzibar, United Kingdom, of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, Desmond Anthony Bellarmine Coutinho was rounded up by supporters of Irom Shamila`™s anti AFSPA, 1958 movement outside the Lamphel Court complex while he was trying to sneak away.
Irom Sharmila was produced today before the court of Judicial Magistrate First Class of Imphal East, Wisdom Kamodang.
According to an eye witness account, Coutinho interfered in the court proceedings while Sharmila was presented before the court.
Desmond also submitted an application to have a meeting with Sharmila after which the court
permitted him to meet Irom Sharmila on December 25 between 11 am to 12:30 pm.
Judicial Magistrate Kamodang reserved his judgement on Sharmila till January 18 next year.
Coutinho, who accompanied Sharmila while she was about to give an interview to a media team outside the court room, was asked to stop by a supporter but he tried to sneak away, the
eye witness said, adding he was rounded up by anti AFSPA,1958 movement supporters.
Sharmila who was whisked away by security personnel watched with teary-eyes when Desmond was being chased.
Further, Desmond was rounded up outside the Lamphel court complex and was manhandled by the Anti AFSPA-1958 supporters.
Some people among the mob also charged him to be a spy or an intelligence agent trying to sabotage the anti AFSPA, 1958 movement.
Anti AFSPA campaigners accused him of disturbing the court proceedings and trying to defame the social movements carried out by Imas of Manipur.
Later security personnel of Lamphel Police Station whisked him from the scene to safety.
`Am I going to die today?` cried Coutinho repeatedly while he was being thrashed by the enraged anti-AFSPA movement supporters.
Supporters of Sharmila seized some items from Desmond`™s possession that included Rs 27,300, 450 Euros, pen drives, his passport and some court documents which were later submitted to the Lamphel Police Station.
Meanwhile, the Sharmila Kanba Lup in a release said it has lodged a complaint against Desmond Coutinho, a man who claims to be Irom Sharmila`™s lover, to the Lamphel Police and has submitted a list of items seized from in a confrontation today.
According to a release of the Lup, the complaint was submitted following interference by Desmond during court proceedings, and also for interfering in their social movement amounting to defamation of mass struggle for peace in Manipur, it said.
The lup has appealed to the officer in charge to take stringent action against the man as per the law of the land and also to investigate thoroughly the true identity of the person.
The lup has also stated that some items were also confiscated from Desmond. The confiscated items were, cash (Indian Rs.2730/- and Euro 450/-, 10 documents, 4 pens, a pencil, 5 pen-drives, 1 New Testament Bible, 2 passports, 1 ruler, 1 brochure, a muffler and 1 messenger bag, it said.