Imphal, November 02: Taking a serious note of the highhanded conduct of Leimakhong based Army personnel, Chief Secretary Jarnail Singh is informed to have issued strong instruction to the State authority concerned to file a criminal case against an Army Captain and some other officials.

According to the Chief Secretary's stand the criminal case should be filed for violating certain laws covering the Essential Services Maintenance Act, entry into restricted area without permission and preventing Government employees from dispensing duty.

the Chief Secretary took up the step after about 50 army personnel under the the command one Captain Pillai (MES) stormed the Yurembam power sub-station and cut off the power supply of the entire region of Imphal for about one and half hours from 9.45 am today.

On being contacted, the PRO of Defence Wing said that the Army authority has taken a serious view of the incident and will take up appropriate steps to get to the bottom of the matter.

Anyone found guilty of misconduct will be given fitting action, he added.

The drama unfolded when the security force descended at the 132 KV power sub-station complex and demanded an explanation on why power supply to Leimakhong was snapped for 15 hours.

According to eye witnesses, the Army team ignored II IRB personnel manning the power complex and barged into the control room and asked the officials present to shut down power supply in Imphal area this morning.

After the power station officials informed the incident to the Superintendent Engineer the officer subsequently reported the matter to the Chief Engineer.

The Chief Engineer accordingly approached the Chief Secretary and highlighted the matter to him.

The Chief Secretary still in his tennis shorts, rushed to the site at around 10.30 am but was initially prevented access beyond the power sub-station by the Army personnel. When the Chief Secretary finally entered the control room a brief exchange of words between jarnail Singh and Captain Pillai ensued, according to sources. Even though the Captain cited negligence of the power sub-station officials for snapping power supply to Leimakhong for 15 hours, the Chief Secretary took the matter seriously and reportedly told the Captain of of the possible legal repercussions on the ground of endangering people's life and referred to emergency situations in medical centres (hospital).

Stating that he has never come across such high-handed conduct of security personnel in his 31 years of service, the Chief Secretary reportedly went to the extent of terming the Army Captain's conduct as acts of terrorism.

Afterwards, the chief Secretary in a telephonic conversation with a Colonel of 57 Mountain Division is learnt to have expressed strong resentment at the conduct of the Army Captain and advised the Colonel to ensure such undesired act does not recur in the future. The Chief Secretary himself asked the power substation officials to resume electricity supply and informed some media persons present at the site that a Criminal Case against officials and personnel involved in the unsavoury act would be taken up.

Meanwhile, informed sources said that power supply to Leimakhong area had to be snapped on technical grounds due to repairing of feeder line from Yurembam sub-station to Leimakhong since around 8.10 am yesterday.

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