Police foil protestors’ bid to storm CM secretariat on 2018 multi-crore drug haul case

Members of as many as 26 women based organisations protested on Friday demanding re-investigation into the infamous 2018 multi-crore drug case.

Even as police foiled the plan of the protestors to storm the chief minister’s secretariat, representatives of the women bodies submitted memorandums to the state governor and also to the chief minister drawing their attention towards appealing to the higher court. However, the protestors expressed disappointment when no appointment to meet chief minister N Biren Singh was given when the their representatives went to submit the memorandum.

Also read: Former ADC chairman acquitted from infamous multi-crore drug seizure case, two convicted

Earlier, a large number of women converged at the office premises of the Nupi Samaj in Imphal’s Lamphelpat and carried out a rally targeting the chief minister’s secretariat. However, police stopped them no sooner the rally kick-started.

After a talk between police officers and leaders of the women bodies, an eight-member delegation of the women bodies were allowed to proceed and submit memorandums to the governor and the chief minister. A police team escorted them up to the chief minister’s secretariat to submit the memorandum. 

Even as the delegation insisted on allowing them to meet with the chief minister and hold talks, the officials at the chief minister’s secretariat refused them saying that they cannot meet with the chief minister without prior appointment, sources said.

After coming out of the chief minister’s secretariat, the delegates expressed disappointment saying they were not allowed to meet the chief minister.

The delegates termed the court’s acquittal of Lukhosei Zou from the multi-crore drug case as a serious issue of the state where narcotic drugs destroyed the very fabric of the society.

Talking to reporters after submitting the memorandum, Nupi Samaj president Th Ramani said that it is unfortunate that the chief minister refused to meet them.

They wanted to meet him and appeal to him to take an active role in saving the Manipuri society from the clutch of narcotic drugs. 

She said that women bodies were not satisfied with the court ruling acquitting the alleged main accused of the drug haul case and would urge the government to go to higher court for re-investigation and re-trial of the case.

“How can we believe that the large quantity of drugs seized from the official quarter of the former ADC chairman belonged to the driver of Lukhosei Zou. We hardly believe it,” she said.

“We want the government does something to ease the doubt being felt by the people of the state on the ruling of the court,” she added.

Former Chairman of Chandel Autonomous District Council (ADC), Lukhosei Zou, was released after the Special Court (ND & PS) Manipur acquitted him in the drug haul case last month.

The court said that the prosecution has failed to prove the charges levelled against Zou and has thus acquitted him because no evidence against him could be found.

The court had convicted two persons including the driver of the former ADC chairman in the case and sentenced to 15 year imprisonment.