Court further remanded him 14 day NIA custody
Source: Hueiyen News Service
Guwahati, December 16 2010:
Arrested UNLF chairman, RK Meghen, who was produced in the NIA (National Investigation Agency) special court today, denied the charges leveled against him, waging war against the nation (India).
The 63-year old RK Meghen aka RK Sanayaima was produced in the NIA court at Guwahati DC Court complex today.
The judge, AK Das, remanded him into the judicial custody for 14 days even though no prayer was made for further remand from the NIA counsel.
No bail petition was applied from Meghen's counncel side also.
While remanding him further into the NIA custody, the court directed the investigative agency to submit a report on whether Meghen is necessary to treat like a criminal, whether he is needed handcuff or not.
Through his counsel M Guneshwor, Meghen denied the charges level against him which includes 'waging war against the nation' and others.
The counsel reportedly argued that Manipur got independence from the British colonial rule in 1947 and merged to Indian Union after signing the merger agreement on October 15, 1949 without the consent of the people of the state.
The merger agreement has no legal validity and India government could not protect the rights of the people.
He (Meghen) has been fighting for the rights for self determination of the people of Manipur.
Plebiscite is the only way to decide whether people of Manipur wanted to live within the Indian Union or not.
The counsel further argued that Meghen cannot be booked under the criminal law of India (Indian Penal Code).
He is not a criminal, he should not be handcuffed.
With this argument, the counsel withdraw Meghen's bail application submitted on December 3, on which he was first produced in the court after NIA after allegedly 'arrested' from Bihar's Motihari.
The NIA (National Investigation Agency) also didn't seek his further remand.
But the court sent him in 14 days' judicial custody," the Newmai News Network quoted sources in Guwahati as saying.
It added that a bail petition filed by Meghen's counsel was withdrawn today since there is no possibility of the court granting bail to the arrested UNLF chief, the agency said.
From now on till filing of charge-sheet, which the sources said is expected by February, Meghen would be produced in the court once in every 14 days.
The UNLF chief was remanded in 13 days' custody of the NIA on December 3.He had then told the court that he was detained in Dhaka, Bangladesh, on September 29 and brought to Motihari in Bihar via Kolkata only on November 30 .
Reminiscently, UNLF chairman, Sanayaima aka RK Meghen, was arrested at Lalmatia locality in Bangladesh on September 29, 2010 by a joint team of Bangladeshi and Indian sleuths and reportedly extradited to India surreptitiously.
The arrest was promptly reported by BBC news which was carried by regional newspapers subsequently thereafter.
With the arrest taking a political turn, Bangladesh Communist Party was approached by its Indian counterpart to confirm the veracity of the news who sometimes in November relayed its confirmation in the affirmative.
However, with the Government of India sitting in stoic silence over the issue, neither agreeing not disagreeing on the arrest, the people of the State rose up in protest against the government's double standard nor had begun to question its dispensation on theory and praxis of honoring international law.
On December 3, RK Meghen disclosed that he was of course arrested from Dhaka on September 29 .