A press conference was held on Saturday at the Office Chamber of the Superintendent, Manipur Central Jail, Imphal to clarify the defamation against Manipur Jail authorities by the founder of the India for Myanmar advocacy group.
Sorokhaibam Bhadrika, Superintendent, Manipur Central Jail, Imphal, asserted that the allegations made during a telephonic interview between ‘The Wire, published on 27th June 2024, and the founder of the India for Myanmar advocacy group, was a complete fabricated and false accusation.
He clarified that the main agenda of the ongoing hunger strike is not for the accusations mentioned in the telephonic interview, rather a demand to release them from jail.
He stated that the Manipur Jail authorities do not have the authority to release them as they were penalized by the Court under Section 14 of the Foreigners Act. He said that only after getting thorough clarification from the Myanmar Embassy, the detainees can be deported back to Myanmar.
He added that the detainees also demanded to release them in Moreh, where they were apprehended, and not in Myanmar (Burma). However, he stated that these demands cannot be fulfilled as it is under the policy of the Government of Manipur and not under the Manipur Central Jail authority.
He said that there was no record of taking the mentioned “Rs 50,000” from them by the jail authorities. The said amount might be given to advocates for legal act counselling, with which the jail authorities are not aware of, he added.
He further asserted that the detainees were being taken care of as per the rules and were provided with an adequate amount of uncontaminated water, both for drinking and other uses, even when there is scarcity of water in the state.
He also said that the detainees were allowed to communicate with their families and even through video callings. The allegations made in the interview were misleading and have created false accusations to the prison authorities that are defamatory, he added.
Officials and staff of the Manipur Central Jail were also present at the press conference.
