IMPHAL, May 10: The concerned Lilong P/S has submitted the Charge sheets of a total of 16 Burmese foreigners including two Burmese women to CJM, Thoubal on May 3.
The Burmese foreigners who are said to have intruded into Manipur were arrested according to law after verification following search operations by cordoning off the areas between Lilong Bazar and Ushoipokpi Bazar by District police Thoubal along with a combined team of personnel of CDO, Thoubal, Imphal West and Bishnupur under the direct supervision of IG (L& O) and SP, Thoubal on August 30, 2012. But since their charge sheets were not submitted for more than eight months, they were remanded in judicial custody in succession that actions cannot be taken up to return them to their own country.
One of the arrested Burmese women gave birth to a baby inside the jail. The child is now three months old but there may be legal area over the citizenship of the child.
Following the submission of charge sheets of the 16 Burmese nationals by Lilong P/S to the CJM, Thoubal on May 3, A Nouteneshwari Devi the CHief Judicial Magistrate sent a notice, following which they were produced before the court of CJM for the first time and actions were taken up today to hold their hearing.
The 16 Burmese foreigners were arrested on August 30, 2012 and remanded to judicial custody and have been kept in Sajiwa jail with Lilong PS taking up FIR No. 88(8) 2012 under section 14, Foreigners Act, 1946. According to law they have been produced before Link Magistrate court at Lamphel every 15 days.
Following the delay in submission of the charge sheets, the foreigners were in judicial custody for a long time with the Jail authority not even conveying to the court that a Burmese woman had given birth to a baby inside the jail. It will be the first time that a foreign woman has given birth to a baby in the jail in Manipur.
The foreigners were arrested as they did not possess legally accepted identity cards. As per their offence, they can be jailed along with fine for 3 to 5 years. But after the term of their sentence, they should be handed over through Manipur CID crime branch by communicating with the immigration officers of the concerned country.