Source: The Sangai Express
Imphal, February 08:
Even as the FCI employees have launched indefinite cease work strike since yesterday demanding unconditional release of the eight arrested colleagues on alleged charge of diverting rice meant for Mid-Day Meal scheme to underground organisations, members of FCI Imphal Staff Employees' Welfare Association (FCIISWA) staged a protest demonstration in front of FCI office at Yaiskul Police Lane today.
The demonstrators strongly denied the charge of siphoning off 10 percent of the rice meant for Mid-day Meal scheme for school children from FCI godown at Sangaiprou to be given to underground organisations.
Placards and banners with inscription like �We condemn the arrest of FCI officials, �Don't victimized FCI officials�, �Release innocent FCI officials unconditionally and immediately� etc, were placed at the site of the demonstration.
Talking to media persons, FCIISWA convenor W Gunamani contended that the eight arrested FCI officials have been wrongly implicated.
He said that the rice quota under Mid-Day meal scheme should have been lifted by the respective ZEO or their representatives from the FCI godown within January 31.AIO (S), Tamenglong D Champoudai who lodged the complaint to DC Tamenglong T Pamei failed to come and pick up the rice quota from the godown despite having completed all the formalities.
This only showed that his intention was only to frame the FCI employees who have been discharging their duties sincerely, he countered.
Instead of arresting the FCI officials, the State Government should try to extract the truth from the AIO(S) and interrogate him why he did not lift the rice quota deliberately, Gunamani suggested.
While asserting that none of the FCI employees have nexus with underground organisations, the convenor decried detention of arrested FCI employees under NSA as unreasonable.
Meanwhile, Senior Regional Manager, FCI (Nagaland and Manipur) Mrs Seema Kakkar is informed to have arrived at Imphal to take stock of the matter.