Armed miscreants who wore police uniforms, carrying guns in Manipur get bail in UAPA case

Special NIA court in Imphal grants bail to five armed miscreants arrested in a UAPA case by the Manipur Police while they were travelling in police camouflage and with sophisticated arms and ammunition.

A Special National Investigation Agency (NIA) court in Imphal granted bail to five armed miscreants arrested last week by the Manipur Police while they were travelling in police camouflage and with sophisticated arms and ammunition. The court ruled that while one of the accused, Moirangthem Anand Singh, belonged to a proscribed Meitei militant outfit, the police had failed to show any material that proved any of the accused had committed any terrorist acts.

Ever since the Unlawful Activities (Prohibition) Act was amended in 2008 to insert stringent provisions for bail, only a handful accused have been granted bail in UAPA cases — most either from the concerned High Court or the Supreme Court.

In the order, the court said, “The I.O. of the case cannot show strong prima facie case against all the accused persons for the commission of terrorist acts and prejudicial activities against the State attracting section 16 UA(P) Act and section 121-A of the IPC as of now.”

It added that the other charges against the five accused in the FIR, including ones under the Official Secrets Act and the Arms Act, are cumulatively punishable with up to seven years in prison and hence it is inclined to grant bail to the accused with a PR bond of ₹50,000 and one surety of the like amount each.

Soon after the bail was granted, Mr. Singh was arrested again and brought to Delhi on a special flight by a team of the NIA. Mr. Singh was arrested in connection with a general case registered to look into banned outfits in Manipur. 

The Manipur Police have said that Mr. Singh had a history of being arrested for secessionist activities ever since he joined the People’s Liberation Army (a banned outfit) in the 1990s and trained as a cadre. He was last arrested in 2010 for being a member of the Kangleipak Communist Party (another banned outfit) and extorting a government office.

The accused — Mr. Singh, Athokpam Kajit, L. Michael Mangangcha, K. Romojit Meitei, and Keisham Johnson — were arrested by the Manipur Police on September 16 near the Meitei Mayek School in Imphal while they were travelling to Uyumpok in a white SUV in police camouflage uniforms and carrying arms and ammunition. The police said they recovered four rifles, including at least one INSAS rifle which is said to be looted in the early days of the ethnic conflict. The police also recovered nearly 200 rounds of live ammunition for the abovementioned rifles from the car of the accused.