Source: The Sangai Express
Imphal, July 26:
Charging the DGP of State Police Y Joykumar with making remarks that are detrimental to the privileges of elected representatives, MLA Salam Joy has informed that he would file a complaint with the Speaker of the Manipur Legislative Assembly in this regard.
Talking to mediapersons at his Babupara official residence today, MLA Salam Joy said the remarks made by DGP Y Joykumar in connection with the July 22 incident of snatching weapons from his escort party by suspected underground activists was against the privileges of the elected representatives and the Chief Minister and the DGP himself should come out with a clarification in this connection.
Instead of addressing as 'Honourable MLA, the DGP simply said MLA Joy in a very discourteous manner, Joy said, adding that such attitude of the DGP might embolden him to say CM Ibobi even to the honourable CM in the future.
It is because of such indicipline on the part of the DGP that a half-pant clad Major of the Assam Rifles had the temerity of showing disrespect to senior Minister Parijat recently, the MLA said.
Along with lodging a complaint with the Speaker in connection with the remarks made by the DGP, the matter would also be brought to the notice of the NCP leader Sharad Pawar, Joy informed.
The MLA went on to say that none of the MLAs will want weapons to be snatched from their escorts.
While conceding to the charges of not giving prior information about his tour programme, Joy asserted that usually none of the MLAs seek permission for petty issues like attending marriage ceremony or visiting some ailing persons.
Joy clarified that he had nothing to with the arrangement of taking only five escort personnel out of 10 provided to him on that fateful day.
The Escort Commander of the Home Department is responsible for such arrangements.
Reacting to the remarks of the DGP that special training would be given henceforth to the escorts of the VIPs, the MLA retorted that this only shows that the requisite training had never been imparted to the escort personnel.
Questioning how the DGP could make a prejudiced remark in saying that the weapons might have been given away to the UGs in connivance with the MLA even while the investigation is still going on, Joy said such remark is akin to saying that the weapons snatched from the security guards of Ex-MLA Radhakishore from Babupara sometime back was the handiwork of the DG and the UGs.
The UGs arrested by the police involved in snatching the weapons from the security guards of ex-MLA Radhakishore were not lodged in the jail even for a year, the MLA complained.
The same UGs were involved in snatching the weapons from his escort party, Joy asserted.
There is no iota of truth in the allegation that he could not answer to the questions asked by SP when the latter demanded to know where he had gone that day, Joy said, while clarifying that the SP did not put any question to him.
'On that day, after attending a Shradha ceremony at Govindgram, I was on my way to participate in a function of the Rural Women and Child Development Organisation at Samurou Makha Leikai.
Police seem to have no knowledge about the way to my home', Joy said.
'In case the police managed to recover the Gypsy hijacked from ex-Minister S Rajen on July 21, the incident of snatching weapons from any escort party might not have taken place', Joy asserted.
Joy further informed that he did not have any idea that armed persons might be inside the Gypsy.
It was only after he was told by the some of the people going along with him that he turned to look only to saw that the escort party coming behind him had already been waylaid and overpowered by the unidentified armed persons who were also carrying lethode guns.
Apprehensive of the extent of the casualty likely to be caused in the event of exchanging fire between his security personnel carrying small weapons and the unidentified armed persons carrying large and sophisticated weapons, he had only stopped them from firing, Joy explained, and questioned whether the DGP wants all of them to be killed in the incident.
'There is no problem if the DGP does not want provide escort to me.
I have no fear in sacrificing the life for the sake of the people who have elected me as their representative.
Without the escort I would continue to work for my people', Joy said.
However, he added, in case of any untoward incident in the event of denying escort to him, the Chief Minister and the DGP should be held responsible.
Lastly, the MLA fervently appealed to all the underground activists to restrain from snatching weapons from the escort party of the elected representatives in the future.