AAMSU and ADSU demand release of innocent youths

SILCHAR, Feb 21 : In a joint memorandum submitted to the deputy commissioner of Cachar on Thursday, All Assam Manipuri Students’ Union (AAMSU) and All Dimasa Students’ Union (ADSU), Cachar district committees, have sought his intervention for release of innocent youths arrested by police on false and fabricated charges on February 9 last.

According to the memorandum, five students identified as Hemanta Singh (24), Biswajit Singh (27), Sanjay Singh (21), Manoranjan Singh (20) and Nandan Burman (20) were arrested by Lakhipur police from Bimala Hotel, Lakhipur, while they were taking meals. All the five were put in the lock up, produced before the Court and sent to judicial custody.

Of the five youths, Sanjay Singh is a Class –X student of Chindong Leikai Manipuri High School, Manoranjan Singh is a student of Class –XII of Cachar College and Nandan Burman who is the son of Congress leader Noboda Burman, reads in class XI of St Peters College Shillong.

Their arrest, as alleged by both the Unions, was on the basis of the complaint of Chanchal Dey, a resident of Poilapool, 30 km from here, who was having personal grudge against Noboda Burman, father of Nandan. AAMSU general secretary H Layataba Singh and ADSU assistant general secretary Animesh Burman who signed the memorandum, pointed their accusing finger at Chanchal Dey for implicating the students in fabricated cases.

The Unions have demanded impartial inquiry into the matter to unearth the reason behind motivated arrest and pressed for the release of all the five since as school and college going students, their academic career is at stake.

They are to appear for their final examinations which would begin soon, the memorandum pointed out.

Lakhipur police, on the other hand, denied the arrest of the youths on the ground of rivalry or animosity between Chanchal Dey and Noboda Burman.

The fact of the case, according to the police, is that all the five youths in collusion with another teenager Abdul Haque Mazumder (20) of Ghantapara, were hatching conspiracy in the said Bimala Hotel of Lakhipur to kidnap Biju Dey, a businessman, brother of Chanchal Dey. On specific tip off, the police arrested all the six youths. Abdul Haque was also taken into police custody for interrogation.