Guwahati: A local court in Manipur’s Churachandpur district has issued a non-bailable warrant of arrest against Pramot Singh, Chief of Meitei Leepun, in a case related to a controversial statement .
The warrant was issued by the Court of the Chief Judicial Magistrate, Churachandpur after Singh failed to appear in court despite being served a notice to do so, The Hills Journal reported.
Singh is accused of promoting enmity between different groups, defamation, and making statements conducing to public mischief.
The charges stem from an interview that Singh gave to senior journalist Karan Thapar for The Wire on June 6, 2023, in which he said that all Kukis would be wiped out or annihilated from the soil of Manipur. His comments sparked a strong reaction from the Kuki-Zo community.
During the course of the investigation, the police established that Singh’s address is Nepali Basti Chingmeirong in Imphal West district of Manipur, which lies under the jurisdiction of Lamphel police station.
However, the police were failed to arrest Singh due to the ongoing ethnic conflicts in the state, reports said.
The police then sent a message to the Officer-in-Charge of Lamphel Police Station to take necessary action, but no response was received. A reminder was sent on September 9, 2023, but again, no response was received, the news website reported.
On October 2, 2023, the police served a notice on Singh to appear in person at Churachandpur Police Station for the purpose of investigation, but Singh failed to do so.
After several attempts to contact Singh failed, the court issued a non-bailable warrant of arrest against him.
The court also directed the Superintendent of Police, Churachandpur, for ensuring timely execution of the order, which is returnable by November 9, 2023.