Manipur legislator lodges complaint against Zeliang

IMPHAL: Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) MLA from Manipur, L Ibomcha Singh, on Saturday filed a police complaint against Nagaland chief minister TR Zeliang for attempting to 'breach the unity and territorial integrity' of the state.
Zeliang, in a meeting with Naga village authorities at Yaikhongpao village in Manipur's Senapati district on Wednesday, had claimed that the Naga-dominated areas of the state had never been part of the erstwhile Meitei kingdom and urged all Nagas to unite against the Okram Ibobi Singh government.
Naga villages in Manipur were 'village republics' with their own administrative systems, Zeliang had said, adding that the Naga areas of the northeast had been divided by artificial boundaries. Nagas should not allow any government to take away their land and administrative system, the chief minister had said.
In a complaint lodged with Kangpokpi police station in Senapati district, Ibomcha - who represents the Keshamthong constituency in Imphal West - accused Zeliang of sedition.
"His (Zeliang's) speech is seditious and blasphemous. It will not only lead to hatred towards the government of Manipur, it will create disharmony, enmity and ill-will among various communities, especially the Nagas and the Meities," Ibomcha said.
"Zeliang's speech depicts his clear intention...to excite disaffection towards the government of Manipur," Ibomcha, who filed the case on the basis of media reports, added.
Apart from this, Zeliang's speech also questioned the territorial integrity of India in a manner prejudicial to the safety and security of the country and maintenance of public order, Ibomcha, a former Manipur law secretary, said.
Prima facie, Zeliang was liable to be punished under Sections 124-A and 153-A of the Indian Penal Code read with Sections two and three of the Criminal Law Amendment Act, 1961, for his speech, Ibomcha added. He also said he had asked the officer in-charge of the police station to file an FIR against Zeliang.
When contacted, Ibomcha told this reporter on Saturday evening that he was not sure if the police station had acted on his complaint and registered an FIR against the Nagaland chief minister.
"If a case has not been registered, we will move the appropriate court," he warned.
Chief minister Okram Ibobi Singh , political parties and various civil bodies of the state have already come down heavily on Zeliang for his comments.