Source: Hueiyen News Service
Imphal, February 21, 2010:
Former president of AMSU Bishnupur district branch who disappeared after he was picked up suspectedly by security personnel clad in civilian fatigue from his home has been freed last mid-night.
Speaking to media persons at his Nambol Kha-Jiri Maning Leikai home today, Sairom Robindro who survived the ghost arrest said he was severely tortured even to the extent of subjecting him to electric shock.
Without naming any particular group, the security personnel accused Robindro of being a UG activist and indulging in extortion.
Recounting about the February 19 ordeal, Robindro said, "at our residential gate, they (security personnel) blind folded me and pushed into a Maruti van.
After driving for around 15 minutes, they took inside a house.
"They asked me to produce Rs five lakhs which I collected from people according to them.
With this, they started beating me blue and black", Robindro narrated.
Next morning Robindro was taken to another place where the blind-fold was removed.
From the sounds of vehicles, Robindro knew that it was close to a main road but he could not guess anything more than this about the location where he was being detained.
The abductors stopped thrashing the hostage by Feb 20. They admitted that Robindro was pulled up due to misinformation.
The abductors also assured the former student activist he would be freed.
Robindro disclosed that all those guarding and interrogating him were Meiteis.
But there were tribes and Hindi-speaking people when he was pulled up.
They never said whether they were UG cadres or security personnel.
The abductors blind-folded Robindro and tied his hands and took him to an unknown location in a Maruti van last night where he was freed.
Later, when Robindro removed the blind-fold he realised that he was near Nambol Khoriphaba hillock.
It was half past midnight when Robindro reached home.
He appealed to the Government to probe into the increased incidents of abduction by unidentified armed persons operating like gangs who are unidentifiable whether security personnel or UG cadres.
Notably, a joint action committee was constittuted and preparations made to call a State-wide bandh against the abduction of Sairom Robindro aias Superman (25). Subsequent upon the release, the proposed bandh has been called off, informed the JAC.