IMPHAL, July 16: An altercation between personnel of the 22 Assam Rifles and the Jiribam police reprtedly led to a Major of the Assam Rifles slapping the Additional SP, Jiribam following which a case has been registered at the Jiribam police station against the Major and his men.
The incident was preceded by the arrest of a militant who had come to pick up a certain amount for a monetary demand made to an oil pump.
Eyewitnesses said police commandos had arrested a man who looked like a tribal who alighted from a numberless white colour Maruti Gypsy from Irabot Chowk in Jiribam.
The eyewitnesses also heard the arrested man’s companions from the Gypsy telling the police personnel that they are from the 22 Assam Rifles post at Jiribam and that the arrested man was with them.
A scuffle ensued thereafter between the AR personnel and the police CDOs, after the later attempted to arrest the said man.
However, the police succeeded in taking the man under their custody and took him to the Jiribam police station.
The arrested person is identified as Seineo Guite (29), son of Lamthang Guite of New Lamka in Churachandpur district. Seineo was arrested for his involvement in extortion of money from businessmen and the general public, looting of mobile phones from people, lobbing of hand grenades to people’s houses and other criminal activities.
But right after Seineo Guite was arrested and taken to the Jiribam police station by the police commandos, those who came along with him sped away in their Maruti Gypsy, with a team of Assam Rifles led by a Major coming to Jiribam police station.
The AR team led by the Major while saying that the arrested person were with them used force to enter the police station, informed sources, following which an altercation ensued between the AR personnel and the police.
The National Highway in front of the police station was blocked by the AR personnel for some time following the altercation. Later, top ranking officials of Assam Rifles came to the police and settled the matter with the police, sources said.
Further according to a reliable source, Seineo Guite had served a monetary demand of Rs 10 lakh at an Oil Pump at Jiribam on July 13 in the name of KRA (U) by placing a bomb at the oil pump. Jiribam police commandos disguising themselves as the owner of the oil pump and called him up Guite on the cell phone number he had provided to the oil pump, to come and collect the money.
Guite came along with some personnel of the 22 AR in plain cloth on a numberless white colour Maruti Gypsy to collect the extortion money. The said amount was handed over to him by the police commodes in plaincloths and was arrested red handed along with the extortion money at Irabot Chowk.
A case under FIR No. 39 (7) 2013 JBM PS was registered at the Jiribam police station against the placing of a bomb and demanding of extortion money from the said oil pump and another case FIR No. 40(7) 2013 Jiribam PS has been added against Guite following his arrest today.
Meanwhile, a regular case FIR No. 41 (7) 2013 has also been registered at Jiribam police station against the Major and his team who slapped the Additional Superintendent of Police, Jiribam and also for using force against police personnel on duty, besides breaking into the police station.
The Major and his team tried to take Guite along with them by using force saying that Seino Guite has to take part in the ceremony for signing of tripartite SoO agreement to be held tomorrow at the 22 AR post at Kadamtala.