Imphal, April 26: An Assam Rifles jawan allegedly served an ultimatum to family members of four youths to withdraw cases filed in the High Court in exchange of their wards claimed by Army authorities to have severed their links with underground organisations.

The matter came to light today when a media team accompanied representatives of Human rights Alert, Human rights Law Network and Manipur Forward Youth Front at Laimanai to ascertain veracity of allegations by the youths' families that the March 13 surrender ceremony was stage managed.

Meanwhile, two out of five youths who were reportedly branded as militants and produced as surrenderees have been handed over to Heingang police station by AR authorities today.

Mention may be made that Army authorities organised surrender ceremony of nine youths claimed to be UG activists at the Mantripukhri base of IG AR (South) in which the 3 Corps Commander ZU Shah presided.

according to one Sagolsem Kumar, who reportedly went to the mantripukhri camp of 4 AR to meet his son Govind (claimed as surrenderee) yesterday, a State native named as Hemba furiously questioned why such a case had been filed in the law court without prior information and demanded that the case be withdrawn.

Hemba is informed to be a close associate of Yengkhom Samananda who posed as recruiting agent of the paramilitary force.

Conveying that an officer intervened while kumar and Hemba were talking over the matter and even forked out Rs 500 with a rider whether he (Kumar) wish to see his join the armed force, the former disclosed of his effort to meet Govind not materialising even after repeated request.

Kumar also confided that his initial joyous moment on prospect of his son getting a respectable job in the army is of no value in the backdrop of the stage-managed antics of Army authorities.

Similar tale was narrated by Heikrujam Basanta of Laimanai whose son Lemba was produced as Basanta of Lamjao in the dubious surrender ceremony.

He accused one Captain Raju of 37 AR post in Leikun of Chandel district suggesting that the Rs 1.50 lakh surrender booty should not be wasted when he (father) approached the AR unit.

Basanta even went to the extent of claiming that the Captain assured to prepare a feast for his son's arrival on April 14 which never materialised.

Referring to Army authorities' rebuttal that the court case had been filed at UG instigation, the father reminded all concerned that no family members of genuinely surrendered UGs had even approached designated court of law till date.

parents (father) of Heikrujam Ingo, H Momocha and H Govind who also spoke to the media team categorically rejected the Army theory of surrender by their wards claiming all are innocent civilians and inadvertently drawn into the surrender drama.

All blamed Samananda for the highly disturbing development and expressed keen desire to see their sons return home.

Meanwhile, Laimanai public angered at its village youths drawn in the alleged surrender drama convened a meeting yesterday and resolved to form a JAC to take further course of action on the matter.

Among other the meeting decided to apprise the Chief Minister for unconditional release of five of its residents portrayed as surrenderees failing which the JAC threatened to launch various form of agitation.

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