An overseer of a stone crushing unit and his wife, who were arrested along with suspected Heroine No 4 from Charangpat Maning Leikai in Thoubal district of Manipur, by the Narcotics and Affairs of Border (NAB) Imphal, were released after finding out that the suspected items were not drugs.
As per sources, the stone crushing unit is run by the family of NPP candidate of Wangkhem assembly constituency, Kharibam Jiban.
At around 12.50 pm, a team of NAB arrested the overseer Khangembam Robindro and his wife Siliya with the suspected drugs and were later released.
Meanwhile, residents of Charangpat village staged a protest at the complex of the stone crushing unit against the arrest. The protesters alleged that people with vested interests provided false information to the public about the couple in order to get political mileage.
The protesters launched a stir, demanding the authorities concerned to bring out those involved in providing false information to the police with the intent to get political mileage.
One Thiyam Nini, a protester said that planting suspicious items at the unit while no one was around and informing the police to arrest people was an act of defaming not only Chrangpat village but the entire Wangkhem assembly constituency.
To prevent such things from happening again, the authorities concerned must identify those involved at the earliest and serve appropriate punishment as per law, she said.
In connection with the incident, NPP candidate Kharibam Jiban expressed that maligning someone’s image in such a manner is highly unethical and completely unacceptable. “Please do not repeat such actions again in the future. This incident was highly unfortunate,” he added.
He urged the authorities to find out the identity of those behind the incident and share their information with the public as well.
