Imphal: BJP-led Manipur government seems to be unacceptable to criticism of its activities. Recently, RK Echanthoibi, a popular Manipuri video blogger, was sent to jail for criticising chief minister N Biren Singh over the Inner Line Permit (ILP).
RK Echanthoibi, a critic of the government, has been charged with defamation, causing public mischief, and provoking breach of peace. Imphal West police chief K Meghachandra Singh said that the blogger was taken to judicial custody on December 17.
He informed reporters that vlogger will have to remain in jail till December 30 when the court will conduct the next hearing in her case.
Echanthoibi had reportedly been charged with defamation, causing public mischief, and provoking breach of peace.
Echanthoibi, in a video uploaded on YouTube, came down heavily at Manipur chief minister N Biren Singh for organizing celebrations because Union Home Minister Amit Shah included Manipur under the ILP regime. Echanthoibi accused N Biren and the BJP-led government of “unfairly claiming credit” for the new development.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah announced that the bill would not be implemented in Sixth Schedule areas and in states where there is ILP. He said this after a meeting with all Governments currently ruling in the North-East.
Amit Shah also later announced that ILP would be implemented in Manipur. The Inner Line Permit is a document that is required of a foreigner or a non-local Indian citizen to enter certain places designated “protected areas”.
After the announcement of ILP for Manipur, the state government had declared a holiday the next day to celebrate the occasion. ILP regime first covered all of Arunachal Pradesh, Mizoram, and Nagaland and later it was extended to Manipur.
Police accused the vlogger of “openly supporting” the “government in exile” of Manipur. It was set up in the United Kingdom on behalf of the state’s titular king, Leishemba Sanajaoba.
In January, Kishore Chandra Wangkhem, charged with sedition by the state police was also a journalist from the state. He was booked under the National Security Act for a Facebook video critical of Chief Minister N Biren Singh and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
