8 State mountaineers arrested by Nagaland police
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, November 27 2018: Out of 15 mountaineers of Manipur Mountaineering and Trekking Association (MMTA) who went to Dzuko Valley in connection with the ongoing Manipur Sangai Festival, eight have been arrested by Nagaland Police.

Eight mountaineers of MMTA including two girls fled towards Nagaland side of Dzuko Valley as a wild fire broke out in the valley but they were rounded up by volunteers of Southern Angami Youth Organisation (SAYO) .

After the incident was informed to the State DGP, Nagaland Police rescued the eight mountaineers but they were arrested and detained by Khuzuma Police in connection with an FIR lodged by SAYO at the same police station.

Meanwhile, MMTA has threatened to launch intense modes of agitation together with civil society organisations in case the eight mountaineers are not released within 24 hours.

Speaking to media persons at their Minuthong office this afternoon, MMTA president Bijoy Kakchingtabam said that 15 members of MMTA left Imphal for Dzuko Valley on November 23 and they reached the valley last morning.

After cooking their meal, the mountaineers were taking photographs when a wildfire broke out all of a sudden.

As they ran helter-skelter to escape the wild fire, six of them fled into the Nagaland side unwittingly while the others remained on the side of Manipur.

In search of the six mountaineers, deputy team leaders Birjit and Sunil too went to Nagaland.

As the eight mountaineers reached Viswema at around 4.50 pm yesterday, SAYO volunteers who came in three vehicles took them into their custody.

On receiving information about the eight volunteers, the same information was passed to DGP LM Khaute and IGP L Kailun and they communicated with Nagaland Police following which Nagaland Police rescued the eight mountaineers.

But they were arrested by Khuzuma police in connection with an FIR lodged by SAYO at the same police station.

Saying that they gave a detailed report of the incident to the Chief Minister this morning, Bijoy Kakchingtabam asserted that the State Government should take up the matter with the Nagaland Government urgently in order to secure release of the arrested mountaineers at the earliest.

Chief Minister N Biren has sent a SMS to his Nagaland counterpart regarding the incident but there has been no response so far, he said.

Efforts to obtain a copy of the FIR lodged at Khuzuma police station by SAYO through Mao police station too proved futile and there is no report of producing the eight mountaineers in any Court.

Taking strong exception to the Nagaland Government's failure to give any information to the Government of Manipur regarding the arrest, the MMTA president asked if the State Government is subordinate to the Nagaland Government.

He also expressed strong suspicion that the wild fire that broke out at Dzuko Valley was an act of arson.

A similar incident took place in 2016.Urging the State Government to take up the matter with the Government of Nagaland so as to secure safe release of all the eight mountaineers, Bijoy said that intense modes of agitation would be launched in association with CSOs if the eight mountaineers are not released within 24 hours.

MMTA's Dzuko expedition team leader Yanglem Ronit alias Boy said that the team properly finished their cooking and the wild fire did not break out from the spot where the team cooked their meal.

He said that the fire originated from Nagaland side and it looked like it was an act of arson.

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