The complaint of the locals was that the son of one Kesho threatened the locals with dire consequence on the phone while a public meeting decrying the alleged arrest of a local by a combined team of 23th and 30th Assam Rifles.
Kesho is the father of one Ingo, the main accused in the recruitment of three children from the locality by militants some time back.
The locals were protesting the alleged arrest of one Chanam Sonamani, 44 son of Mangi of Sairem khul Polangshoi under Lamsang PS on May 7 around 2 am by individuals suspected to be AR personnel and subsequently handing him over to the Lamsang police after physically assaulting him.
Speaking to media persons Sonamani said, they took him to a place between Lamsang and Tauthong village and after taking off his shirt accused him of being a PREPAK (VC) militant asked him about the whereabouts of the 19 lathode bombs and what his army number was, he said.
They further enquired about where he was trained, and when he replied in the negative to all the questions, they started hitting him on his left elbow with an iron rod, he alleged.
When he further denied his involvement with any militant group they further hit him on the head and asked if he know where Ajit was and where he keep his 9mm pistol, he further alleged.
Ajit is also stated to be from the same locality.
When he replied in the negative, they blinded him with his own shirt and started talking among themselves.
They started discussing whether to shoot him and dispose his dead body or not, he stated.
He was further accused of sheltering UGs and told him to acknowledge his faults or it would not be good for him, he added.
At around 4 am he was handed over to the Lamsang PS with allegations of harbouring UGs, he lamented.
Before handing over to the police, one of the personnel speaking Meiteilon with a tribal accent had told him that he was alive just because the commander of 30th AR knows him and that someone had wrongly implicated him of being a militant, he further informed the media persons.
He came out on bail on May 9, and held a public meeting the same day and invited Naocha’s father Kesho who failed to turn up, one of the locals attending today’s meeting said to media persons.
This late morning around 10:30am, another meeting was conveyed in the presence of Kesho during which Naocha who had surrendered to the 23 AR called Ajit’s younger brother identified as Sanjoy and threatened him with dire consequence if the locals try to harm Kesho (Naocha’s father), the locals said.
He also threatened that the whole of Chanam clan will be destroyed if any harm comes to Kesho, continued the agitator.
Kesho who had threatened the village of dire consequence sometimes back when his elder son Ingo was banished from the locality for his involvement in the recruitment of three children from the village by militants, remained silent during the entire episode.
Enraged over the threat and subsequent silence maintained by Kesho, the locals at around 3pm dismantled Kesho’s house.